Engagement in Paid and Unpaid Work in Later Life: A Holistic, Multilevel Conceptual Framework

Background: A contemporary vision of older adults’ overall quality-of-life must take into account changes in the meaning and experience of work. The streams of research to date that inform our understanding of meaningful engagement in paid and unpaid work in later life include economics, public health, psychology, occupational therapy, gerontology, social work, sociology and others—each contributing unique perspectives and approaches with regard to the role of individuals, organizations, communities, policy, and society, but often siloed in their approaches. Accordingly, there have been few integrative models or frameworks that have brought together these diverse perspectives.

Method: This paper puts forth an initial cross-disciplinary conceptual framework and expands on the portions that are new contributions to the engagement literature. The goals of this paper are: a) to introduce quality of engagement as an important concept in the aging literature and to present a conceptual model for quality of engagement; b) to integrate quality of engagement into a broader conceptual model of engagement at older ages, and demonstrate how its inclusion opens the doors to many new ways of looking at engagement; and c) to describe propositions based on the model to guide future research on engagement, both within and across disciplines. 

Results: We propose four tenets on which future research on meaningful engagement in paid and unpaid work in later life can rest.  Proposition #1 is that a complex conceptualization of engagement that takes into account quantity, quality, nature and concurrency of one’s role involvements will better predict under what circumstances role engagement will lead to positive individual, family, organizational, community, and societal outcomes than simpler, cruder conceptualizations. Proposition 2 is that physical activity, cognitive activity, social interaction and emotional exchange mediates the relationship between quantity, quality, nature and concurrency of role engagement and individual health and well-being. Proposition 3 is that the combined effects of increased physical activity, cognitive activity, social interaction and emotional exchange on individual health and well-being provide  more potent mediating benefits than each of these individual factors. And, proposition 4 is that quality of engagement in a given role will mediate the relationship between aspects of the role environments (i.e., role characteristics, social systems, and individual distractions) and individual and role-specific outcomes.

Implications: The present paper proposes a research agenda based on research and theory that may lead to the discovery of effective and targeted public health interventions that simultaneously increase purposeful engagement, delay the onset of frailty in later life, and have broader impacts on families, communities and society. Discussion of implications will hone in on the role that social workers can play specifically in moving forward this research agenda and taking action through the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare’s Grand Challenge on Advancing Long and Productive Lives.