Systematic review of co-occurring transition of retirement and migration: An occupational perspective.

Only 13 studies met the criteria and the authors acknowledge the small number. Most had small samples from one destination or one national group, and several of the included studies said their findings were not intended to be generalisable. Quality was mixed. The included studies scored between 10 and 19 out of 24 on the McMaster appraisal, and only the first two studies plus three chosen at random were checked by a second reviewer. Studies defined retirement migration in different ways, which the authors say made it hard to compare findings across contexts or draw firm conclusions. Only studies published in English from 2000 onwards were included, so relevant work in other languages or published earlier could have been missed. None of the included studies looked at retirement as an occupational transition in its own right, so the occupational perspective the review argues for is not supported by any of its own data.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and no financial support for the research, authorship or publication of the article.

Do not read this as evidence that moving abroad in retirement improves health or well-being, and do not read it as evidence that occupational therapy helps these retirees. It is a synthesis of 13 qualitative studies with no outcome measures, and the authors note that several of those studies said their findings were not meant to be generalisable.