Introduction
Most nations across the globe are reviewing the retirement eligibility ages as a result of the challenge of population aging and the associated risks. This review may seem like an ordinary policymaking process, but it shows the importance of studying the impacts of labor force exit, especially for retirees. Recent years have seen most of the literature in this field focus on the labor force exit for male workers with insignificant attention paid to the retirement of women. Thus, while there is a need to study both sides of the gender divide for comparison purposes and deeper understanding of the situation, there is also a need to narrow the scope of the study to a specific mental health problem. This study will serve to fill the gap by focusing on the impacts of retirement on depression and anxiety in both male and female retirees. The number of pensioners is increasing at an alarming rate with studies projecting a higher population of the elderly in each country throughout the world (Kasza, 2002). For instance, Khan (2014) estimates that by 2033, the UK’s population aged 65 years and above will be accounting for close to 23% of the entire population. Predictably, aging has adverse economic impacts, making it an area of interest for researchers who wish to investigate how some of the negative effects could be minimized or eliminated. It is noteworthy that some of the past research works have noted no correlation between retirement and mental disorders, implying that labor force exit does not affect depression and anxiety in any way. However, other studies have found a positive relationship between the two. Nonetheless, it is proven that psychiatric illness is a major factor behind early retirements worldwide. Therefore, this study will seek to examine the exact impacts of retirement on depression and anxiety. The following is the hypothesis of this research. The current working environment is busy, and the jobs are also demanding. Besides, most organizations are in their early stages of fully implementing the concept of employee well-being, which has been found to reduce depression and anxiety levels in employees (Bonsang & Timothy, 2012). Therefore, the projected decline in the prevalence of depression and anxiety at the retirement age bracket is sufficient ground to predict that retirement is good for a person’s mental health.
Research Methods
A research method defines the particular means employed in conducting the research. In essence, it encompasses the individual methodologies facilitating either primary or secondary data depending on the type of study and the preferred form of data. As the backbone of a study, various aspects must come into perspective when conducting a study, especially regarding the collection of data. For this study, the elements of research methods that will be considered include the research philosophy, sampling techniques, design, data collection, and the subsequent analysis.