The effects of retirement expectations and social support on post‐retirement adjustment

Purpose The aim is to examine the shifting effects of retirement expectations and social support on adjustment three and half and ten months post‐retirement. Design/methodology/approach For the purpose of this study, the authors used a survey methodology. Expectations regarding retirement and social support were used to predict three facets of satisfaction post‐retirement; life satisfaction, retirement satisfaction, and social satisfaction. Findings Results suggested that expectations consistently and significantly predicted satisfaction early and later in retirement. Social support was only a significant antecedent of retirement satisfaction at time 2, and had a non‐significant relationship to social and life satisfaction in retirement. Practical implications Results support the view that retirement expectations have a strong influence on retirement, life, and social satisfaction in the first year of an individual's retirement. Originality/value The paper's findings imply that interventions designed to create realistic expectations of the retirement experience may have a positive impact on adjustment.