JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

As income and health are closely related, retirement is considered undesirable for health. There are many papers that have studied the association between pension and health, but no research has been found that considers contribution-based public pensions and their types.

Objective:

Therefore, this study investigates the association between type of contributory public pension and depressive symptoms among older adults over 65 years.

Methods:

Data from 4,541 older adults, who participated in the South Korea Welfare Panel Study, 2014–2020, were analyzed. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Public pensions were classified into specific corporate pensions and national pensions. For subgroup analyses, pensioners were categorized according to the amount of pension received and the proportion of public pension in gross income. Analyses using generalized estimating equations for longitudinal data were conducted.

Results:

Individuals receiving a public pension, regardless of pension type, demonstrated significantly decreased depressive symptoms (national: β = -0.734, P < .001; specific: β = -0.775, P =.020). For both pensions, the higher the amount of benefit, the lower the depression scores. However, the association disappeared for those who received the smaller amount among the specific corporate pensioners. In low-income households, the decrease in depressive symptoms based on amount of public pension benefits was greater (fourth quartile of national pension: β = -1.472, P < .001; second and third quartiles of specific corporate pension: β = -3.646, P < .001).

Conclusions:

Contributory public pension was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms. This association was prominent in low-income households. Contributory public pensions may be good economic resources to improve the mental health of older adults after retirement.