Recent studies in the young "positive psychology" movement have suggested that strong emotional health in early life and middle age can not only lead to higher life satisfaction in late life, but also increased longevity. For baby boomers, maintaining sound mental and emotional health is key to avoiding age-related depression, which can be triggered by retirement, death or disability of a spouse, physical disability, and/or lowered feelings of self-worth. The mental and emotional health of today's baby boomers has vast implications for the physical and psychological well-being of what will soon be the largest generation of retirees that this country has ever seen.
To assess the mental health of today's baby boomers, Gallup examined aggregated results from its 2000, 2001, and 2002 Health and Healthcare surveys*. Results show baby boomers and older adults are less likely than younger adults (those aged 18 to 38) to give their mental health or emotional well-being the highest rating, "excellent," although the combined percentages of those saying their mental and emotional health is "excellent" or "good" are roughly equal among all age groups.
Forty-two percent of baby boomers (adults currently between the ages of 39 and 57) say their mental health is excellent, compared to 50% of adults between the ages of 18 and 38. Just 35% of adults aged 58 and older say their mental health is excellent.
Impact of Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being on Daily Activity
Gallup data suggest that poor mental health is more likely to affect the ability of older Americans to conduct normal activities (such as self-care, work, and recreation) than it is to affect younger Americans in the same way.
Gallup asked Americans: "During the past month, for about how many days did poor mental health or emotional well-being keep you from doing your usual activities, such as self-care, work, or recreation?" Looking specifically at respondents who said that they have had at least one poor mental health day in the past month, those between the ages of 18 and 38 report that they were kept from doing normal activities an average of 2.7 days in the past month, compared to 4.1 days for baby boomers and 5.5 days for people aged 58 and older. This is the case even though baby boomers and older Americans aren't much more likely than younger Americans to report having a poor mental health day in the past month (in all age groups, the average is between two and three poor mental health days).
Bottom Line
How can age-related mental health and emotional well-being problems be mitigated among baby boomers? For the healthcare industry, one key is better diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders. According to a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, only 57% of adults with major depression have received treatment and only 21% of those who have received treatment have been treated adequately. Physicians must be better prepared and trained to diagnose and treat mental health problems.
Baby boomers themselves can also take steps to ensure better mental health and emotional well-being into old age. Martin Seligman, leading proponent of positive psychology, maintains a Web site -- www.authentichappiness.org -- that contains self-assessment questionnaires gauging various psychological constructs related to happiness. Commonly heard recommendations for promoting emotional health in the face of the again process include the following:
- Do not become isolated. Stay socially connected by maintaining an active social life outside the job.
- Don't put off non-work-related activities for another day. Get involved in community or religious activities that can continue after retirement, and make them part of your weekly routine.
- For many people, a successful marriage is key to coping with the challenges of later life. Focus on strengthening the marital relationship.
*Results based on an aggregate of telephone interviews with 2,006 American adults, aged 18 and older, conducted from 2000 through 2002. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2.4%.
