title: Extending employment beyond the pensionable age: a cohort study of the influence of chronic diseases, health risk factors, and working conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In response to the economic consequences of ageing of the population, governments are seeking ways with which people might work into older age. We examined the association of working conditions and health with extended employment (defined as >6 months beyond the pensionable age) in a cohort of older, non-disabled employees who have reached old-age retirement.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 4,677 Finnish employees who reached their old-age pensionable date between 2005 and 2011 (mean age 59.8 years in 2005, 73% women) had their survey responses before pensionable age linked to national health and pension registers, resulting in a prospective cohort study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 832 participants (17.8%) extended their employment by more than 6 months beyond the pensionable date. After multivariable adjustment, the following factors were associated with extended employment: absence of diagnosed mental disorder (OR 1.25, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.54) and psychological distress (OR 1.68; 1.35-2.08) and of the work characteristics, high work time control (OR 2.31; 1.88-2.84). The projected probability of extended employment was 21.3% (19.5-23.1) among those free of psychiatric morbidity and with high work time control, while the corresponding probability was only 9.2% (7.4-11.4) among those with both psychiatric morbidity and poor work time control. The contribution of chronic somatic diseases was modest.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study, good mental health in combination with the opportunity to control work time seem to be key factors in extended employment into older age. In addition, high work time control might promote work life participation irrespective of employees' somatic disease status.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Expertise for the Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Virtanen
authors.affiliation: Centre of Expertise for the Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oksanen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom ; Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom ; Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G David
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Batty
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ala-Mursula
authors.affiliation: Centre of Expertise for the Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Turku, Finland ; Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salo
authors.affiliation: Service System Department, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elovainio
authors.affiliation: Centre of Expertise for the Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pentti
authors.affiliation: Statistical Services Unit, Keva, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Katinka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lybäck
authors.affiliation: Centre of Expertise for the Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Turku, Finland ; Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vahtera
authors.affiliation: Centre of Expertise for the Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Turku, Finland ; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom ; Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kivimäki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012179:Retirement; D012307:Risk Factors