@mastersthesis {10248, title = {The Effects of Paid Work on Health in Later Life: Variation by Socioeconomic Status.}, volume = {Doctor of Philosophy}, year = {2018}, month = {07/2018}, pages = {101}, school = {Florida State University}, address = {Tallahassee, FL}, abstract = {Studies examining the link between older adults{\textquoteright} labor force participation and health frequently report that later life employment is health enhancing. However, few studies consider how these benefits could vary by socioeconomic status (SES). In this dissertation I seek to address this oversight using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). By exploring the relationship between older adults{\textquoteright} employment, SES, and health in three key areas (i.e., depressive symptoms, total recall, and physical impairment), I provide a more in-depth account of the health implications of later life employment. To accomplish this goal, I conduct three sets of analyses. In the first set of analyses I assess cross-sectional associations between employment status and health. My findings indicate that both part-time employment and full-time employment are significantly linked to fewer depressive symptoms, better recall, and fewer functional limitations. Contrary to my expectations, I find no evidence that full-time employment is especially beneficial compared with part-time employment. In the second set of analyses, I use longitudinal data to evaluate associations between employment stability and change and health. The longitudinal results are generally consistent with cross-sectional findings and indicate a positive relationship between older adults{\textquoteright} employment and health. In the third set of analyses, I examine whether the relationship between older adults{\textquoteright} labor force involvement and health varies by SES using cross-sectional and longitudinal data. A review of the interaction terms from the cross-sectional analyses suggests that SES does not significantly condition such a relationship. However, longitudinal findings do offer some evidence that higher educational attainment and wealth may weaken the association between employment change and cognitive and physical health.}, keywords = {Cognitive health, Employment, Physical Health, Psychological Health, Retirement, SES}, url = {http://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu\%3A647232}, author = {Gumber, Clayton Michael} }