What's mine is yours: An examination of resource interdependence in couples' adjustment to retirement

Abstract

Exploration of retirement as a couple-level phenomenon has primarily focused on the decision to retire (e.g. Curl and Ingram, 2013) or on the consequences of retirement for either the couple or the non-retiring partner (e.g. Bushfield et al., 2008). In contrast, studies examining retirement adjustment have largely focused on the individual retiree (see Barbosa et al., 2016). This thesis aims to address this research gap through a program of studies that investigate interdependence in the adjustment outcomes of dual-retired couples. Study one examines shared exposure and partner similarity as explanations for partners' shared retirement outcomes. Study one utilises multilevel modelling to partition variance in retirement adjustment into shared and individual components. This approach allows for a model in which shared variance in partners' retirement adjustment is predicted both by shared variance in partners' resources and shared environmental influences. Both were found to reduce shared variance in retirement adjustment. Supplementary analysis further examines the contribution of couple-level resources to partners' shared retirement outcomes, suggesting that couple-level resources, in addition to one's own, further enhance adjustment. Study two takes an interpersonal view of retirement adjustment by exploring interdependency between partners' resources and retirement adjustment. Using the actor-partner interdependence model, study two examines relationships between the resources and adjustment of both partners. By controlling for alternative sources of similarity in partners' resources and retirement outcomes, this approach disentangles the contributions of one's own resources from those of the partner. These findings speak to an important gap in the literature regarding the means by which partners may influence the quality of one another's adjustment. Moreover, study two advances our understanding of resources in retirement by probing the dyadic contributors to resource compensation-a key process in aging (Freund, 2006; 2008) that has been largely overlooked in the retirement space (e.g. Lockenhoff, 2012). Results from study two highlight how, in addition to one's own resources, the resources of one's partner have a direct, positive effect on retirement adjustment outcomes, particularly for individuals with low levels of resources. Finally, study three investigates mechanisms through which partner's resources may influence retirement adjustment. Integrating findings from the broader literature on romantic couples' goal pursuit and coping behaviours with the resource perspective of retirement, study three tests a model in which the effects of both individual and partner resources on retirement adjustment are mediated through dyadic coping and goal achievement. Among partners' resources, only emotional resources positively relate to dyadic coping, which in turn was positively related to adjustment. However, the total indirect effect only approached significance. In contrast, results show strong support for mediated effects of individuals' own resources via dyadic coping and goal achievement. This thesis enhances the existing literature in several important ways. Firstly, it addresses the paucity of explicit theorising of how retirement adjustment unfolds within the context of the couple. Secondly, it demonstrates how romantic partners may enable retirees to compensate for their limited resources in retirement. Finally, it answers calls to identify the wider social actors and other sources of resources that may impact on retirement adjustment quality (Wang et al., 2011). Practically, the results of this thesis demonstrate the value in preparing for retirement as a couple, not just as an individual, and more generally highlight how interventions that target one partner are likely to positively impact the other. Show more