Volunteering during Early Retirement Reduces Depression

Angelo Lorenti, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)
Filomena Racioppi, Sapienza Università di Roma
Alessandra De Rose, Sapienza University of Rome

Engaging in volunteering activities has been found to be beneficial for volunteers, especially as they grow old. In this study, we assess the causal effect of volunteering on depression among early retirees, its heterogeneity, and whether limitations in daily life activities mediate the relationship. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we apply the parametric g-formula to simulate an intervention aimed at estimating the effect of retirement on depression and assessing the mediating role of activity limitations. Our results show that engagement in volunteering reduces depression in the general population by approximately 5%, with more considerable gains among early retirees. The results hold irrespective of gender and indicate greater benefits for women and racial minorities. Our findings show that about 10% of the positive impact of volunteering on depression operates via reducing the likelihood of limitations in daily activities. Therefore, the benefits of volunteering extend to the overall health of both individuals and the population. Our simulated intervention targeting early retirees may be one viable public health strategy for protecting against depression while also allowing individuals to contribute to the public good.

Keywords: Population Ageing, Health and Morbidity, Computational social science methods, Population Policies

See paper.