Portsmouth, England — Frequent musculoskeletal pain may lead people to retire or leave the workforce early, results of a recent study by British researchers show.
Looking at data from nearly 1,200 working older adults (50-plus) participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the researchers examined the relationship between musculoskeletal pain and work cessation, as well as retirement, over a recent 14-year period. Results show that musculoskeletal pain sufferers were 1.25 and 1.1 times more likely to retire early or stop working early, respectively.
The researchers identified other factors that play a role in early retirement and early work cessation, including higher self-perceived social status and older age at baseline. They found that participants who felt they received the recognition they deserved on the job were less likely to leave the workforce.
The study was published online in the journal PLOS ONE.
