Job transitions and mental health outcomes among US adults aged 55 and older during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES Adults around retirement age are especially vulnerable to the effects of the recent economic downturn associated with COVID-19. This study investigated disturbances to working life and mental health among Americans aged ≥55 during early months of the pandemic. METHODS Using data from the nation-wide COVID-19 Coping Study (N=6,264), we examined rates of job loss, furloughs, hour/income reductions, and work-from-home, along with unchanged work status, by age, gender, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and occupation. We next described sources of worry by job transition group and tested the adjusted associations of COVID-19-related job transitions with life satisfaction, loneliness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS Most job loss occurred among respondents under age 65 and those without college degrees. Job loss and reduced hours/income were more common among Hispanics compared to other racial/ethnic groups, and work-from-home transitions were most common among respondents with high educational attainment and jobs in government- and education-related occupations. Workers who lost their jobs had the lowest life satisfaction and the highest loneliness and depressive symptoms, followed by workers who were furloughed and workers with reduced hours/income. Work-from-home was associated with more anxiety than unchanged work. DISCUSSION COVID-19-related job transitions are detrimental to mental health, even when they might keep workers safe. These results enhance our understanding of the potentially long-term mental health effects of social and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the need for economic and mental health support for aging Americans.