Retirement leads to depression.

Is it true that Retirement leads to depression?

Partly. Evidence is mixed and only partial: one reference work says retirement itself is not likely to cause depression, a literature review and a longitudinal study report retirement is associated with less depression, and a Chinese study found retirement reduced depression in female workers, while a book and a clinical case report link retirement to depression in some people.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 2 sources for, 4 against · Last checked 16 Oct 2026

Moustafa, A. (2020). The Nature of Depression. play.google.com. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=BWzqDwAAQBAJ&source=gbs_api

Retirement. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retirement

Glenn, S. (1980). Depression and the Family Life Cycle: Adjusting the System at Retirement.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED289129

Yang, H., Tao, Y., Cheng, S., & Ti, S. (2022). A study of the effect of retirement on depression among female workers: Empirical evidence from China. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2164880/v1

PubMed: Prolonged unemployment and depression in older workers: a longitudinal study of intervening variables.. (n.d.). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3660007/

Is there a consensus on the health consequences of retirement?. (2021). hal.science. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12466