Time until exit from paid work after ages 65-69 and ≥ 70, respectively: importance of prior sickness absence and disability pension.

Background: As populations age, more knowledge is needed on people who extend their working lives. The aim of this study was to explore if prior sickness absence (> 14 days) and/or disability pension (SADP) in mental and/or somatic diagnoses were associated with time until work exit after ages 65-69 and ≥ 70, respectively, among women and men.

Methods: This prospective population-based cohort study included all 65-69-year-olds (cohort65, n = 201,263) and ≥ 70-year-olds (cohort70, n = 93,751) who were in paid work in Sweden in 2014. SADP was measured in 2010-2014 as yes/no and categorised by number of days. Work was defined as work income ≥ 75% of the income requirement for SA benefits. Work exits were observed between 2015 and 2018. Linked microdata were analysed using Accelerated Failure Time model to derive Time Ratios (TR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), adjusting for sociodemographic factors and branch of industry, and censoring for death and emigration.

Results: Most individuals had no prior SADP (cohort65: 66.3% women, 75.8% men; cohort70: 96.8% women, 97% men). In both cohorts and sexes, ~ 80% remained in paid work at least some time during follow-up, and ~ 41% worked throughout the follow-up. In cohort65, women with prior mental SADP (TR 0.94; 95%CI 0.93-0.96), and women (0.95; 0.94-0.96) and men (0.94; 0.93-0.95) with prior somatic SADP had marginally shorter time until work exit than individuals of the same sex without the corresponding SADP. Prior SA was generally not associated with work exit in cohort70.

Conclusions: Neither mental nor somatic SADP was strongly associated with time until work exit.