Retirement and Suicidal Behaviours: A Review of the International Literature

Abstract This scoping review maps published literature on retirement patterns and the effect retirement has on individuals. Recommendations are provided for future research, including changes to retirement policies, to decrease the prevalence of suicidal behaviours for older adults. A literature search (2014 - 2020) was conducted in Medline, PubMed, Cinahl and Scopus, using the terms retirement, transition, redundancy, and pathways. A rapid review of global literature was undertaken, identifying 204 articles, with 27 papers chosen for full review. Search terms included retirement, transition, redundancy and pathways to retirement. Themes arising from the data were experience of retirement, planning, health (physical and psychological), and levels of social participation. This review provides information for policy makers, health workers and employers to assist individuals with retirement, emphasising the need to maintain competency in a complex set of skills to improve health literacy and decrease psychological stress/ suicidal behaviours in older adults.