Gerotranscendence and motivation for work past retirement age: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Usually, work beyond retirement is seen as part of the active and healthy aging paradigm. However, during the work-to-retirement transition, some people can experience activity and value re-prioritization, which might align more closely with the theory of gerotranscendence. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to explore the concept of gerotranscendence in a group of retirement-aged workers (n = 219) and determine the relationship between gerotranscendence and motivation for work beyond retirement. To collect data, the Slovenian version of a 4-point Gerotranscendence Scale with 10 items (GTS-10) was used for the first time. Principal component analysis of the GTS-10 suggested that the internal structure of the Slovenian version of the GTS-10 corresponded to the original scale. Gerotranscendence was predicted by the presence of meaningful activities in a person’s life (β = 0.184, p =.006) and uninterrupted pattern of life (β = 0.343, p