Multiple Social Groups Support Adjustment to Retirement across Cultures

Research has demonstrated the positive effects that social identification with multiple groups has on people’s health and well-being, and this includes the transition from work to retirement. However, these effects have not yet been examined outside Western retirement contexts. The present study addresses this gap by examining the contribution that group memberships and one’s identification with multiple social groups makes to supporting retirees’ physical health and well-being across cultures. Drawing on data from the World Values Survey, we found that multiple group memberships positively predicted retirees’ health and well-being in both Western and non-Western cultural contexts. In line with cross-cultural research, there was evidence that country-level collectivism moderated the strength of this association, with the effect being weaker in collectivistic (vs. individualistic) countries. The current findings illustrate the utility of using the social identity approach to understand people’s adjustment in retirement across cultures.