This study investigated preparation for retirement in the rural elderly and the
relationship between that preparation and retirement satisfaction. A number of
anticipatory socialization for retirement mechanisms were investigated including
planning for retirement, preretirement education, gradual versus immediate retirement, discussion of retirement with others, and exposure to written information
and mass media programs about retirement. Respondents were 252 men and 199
women who participated in the retirement substudy of an 8-year epidemiological
investigation of persons aged 65 and over in two rural Iowa counties. Planning
for retirement, reading about retirement, and exposure to radio or television
programs about retirement were significant correlates of retirement satisfaction
for both sexes. Gradual retirement was a significant correlate of retirement
satisfaction for males only. After health, planning for retirement was the second
strongest predictor of retirement satisfaction for males.
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