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Resource and Strategic Mobilization Model (RSM) of Productive Aging: Examining Older Americans’ Participation in Various Productive Activities

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Abstract

Older people involve themselves in productive activities for different reasons, and the theoretical frameworks examining their engagement are limited. This study introduces a new theoretical model, the Resource and Strategic Mobilization model (RSM), and empirically tests how personal resources and networks influence older persons’ participation in three major productive activities: employment, volunteering, and caregiving. Using nationally representative American data from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study, this study included 10,089 community-dwelling older adults aged 65+. Key predictor variables reflected aspects of personal resources (finances and physical health), and personal networks (family and social). Socio-demographic characteristics were controlled to obtain independent impacts from the above predictor variables. Three separate logistic regression models were utilized to test whether older people’s personal resources and networks influenced their engagement in employment, volunteering and caregiving. Findings showed that older Americans with greater financial resources were more likely to work and volunteer. In general, those with better health were more likely to participate in all three activities. Family networks were associated with providing care, and greater social network involvement was linked to volunteering. As the RSM predicts, the diverse contexts of older persons matter, as indicated by personal resources and networks, for the activities older adults are involved in. Implications of using the RSM model to understand productive activities in which older people engage are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

I gratefully acknowledge valuable feedback from Dr. Sheila Feld, Professor Emerita of Social Work, and Dr. Ruth E. Dunkle, Wilbur J. Cohen Collegiate Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean of School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

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  1. School of Social Work, University of Missouri-St. Louis, One University Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63121, USA

    Huei-Wern Shen

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This study utilizes public release data from Health and Retirement Study. This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Shen, HW. Resource and Strategic Mobilization Model (RSM) of Productive Aging: Examining Older Americans’ Participation in Various Productive Activities. Ageing Int 42, 23–43 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-016-9259-1

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