Retirement age and disability status as pathways to later-life cognitive impairment: Evidence from the Norwegian HUNT Study linked with Norwegian population registers
Zotcheva, Ekaterina; Strand, Bjørn Heine; Bowen, Catherine E; Bratsberg, Bernt Magne; Jugessur, Astanand; Engdahl, Bo Lars; Selbæk, Geir; Kohler, Hans-Peter; Harris, Jennifer Ruth; Weiss, Jordan; Grøtting, Maja Weemes; Tom, Sarah E.; Krokstad, Steinar; Stern, Yaakov; Håberg, Asta; Skirbekk, Vegard Fykse
Journal article, Peer reviewed
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Date
2023Metadata
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Original version
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2023, 38 (7), e5967. 10.1002/gps.5967Abstract
Background
Research shows that retirement age is associated with later-life cognition but has not sufficiently distinguished between retirement pathways. We examined how retirement age was associated with later-life dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for people who retired via the disability pathway (received a disability pension prior to old-age pension eligibility) and those who retired via the standard pathway.
Methods
The study sample comprised 7210 participants from the Norwegian Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4 70+, 2017–2019) who had worked for at least one year in 1967–2019, worked until age 55+, and retired before HUNT4. Dementia and MCI were clinically assessed in HUNT4 70+ when participants were aged 69–85 years. Historical data on participants' retirement age and pathway were retrieved from population registers. We used multinomial regression to assess the dementia/MCI risk for women and men retiring via the disability pathway, or early (<67 years), on-time (age 67, old-age pension eligibility) or late (age 68+) via the standard pathway.
Results
In our study sample, 9.5% had dementia, 35.3% had MCI, and 28.1% retired via the disability pathway. The disability retirement group had an elevated risk of dementia compared to the on-time standard retirement group (relative risk ratio [RRR]: 1.64, 95% CI 1.14–2.37 for women, 1.70, 95% CI 1.17–2.48 for men). MCI risk was lower among men who retired late versus on-time (RRR, 0.76, 95% CI 0.61–0.95).
Conclusion
Disability retirees should be monitored more closely, and preventive policies should be considered to minimize the dementia risk observed among this group of retirees.