engleski

Predictors of mental health and cognitive functions in older Croatian workers

Although national policies aim at keeping workers in active work force longer, older workers are often being excluded from labour force during restructuring processes. They are at higher risk for long-term unemployment, which poses multiple challenges for their physical, mental and social health. The aim of our study was to examine some aspects of mental health and cognitive functions in older Croatian workers taking into account their gender, self-reported health, level of education, employment status, cohabitation status and place of residence. From the Wave 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) we analysed data of 776 older Croatian workers aged 50-65 years, 57% women, 59% employed. The results showed that symptoms of loneliness were more often reported by the unemployed, by younger respondents in the sample, those living without a partner, those rating their health as poorer and those reporting at least one chronic illness. More depressive symptoms and poorer numerical skills were found in unemployed participants residing in rural areas. Depressive symptoms were more pronounced in females and in those rating their health as poorer, irrespective of place of residence. In urban subsample additional risk factors for more pronounced depressiveness were higher education level and living without a partner while in rural subsample those were unemployment and presence of chronic illness. To conclude, being an unemployed older worker in Croatia, especially in rural areas, significantly contributes to impairments in some aspects of mental health and cognitive functioning.

Aging ; depressiveness ; loneliness ; self-rated health ; unemployment

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