From work-unit member to social individual

The dissolution of China’s work-unit system has reshaped retirement, but how transition patterns relate to long-term depressive symptom trajectories and whether leisure reconfiguration mediates this relationship remain unclear. To examine the longitudinal association between retirement transition patterns and depressive symptom trajectories in later life and the mediating role of leisure reconfiguration, data were collected from the Northeast China Aging and Lifestyle Survey (NCALS, N = 5217, age ≥ 60 years). Retirement transition patterns (gradual, abrupt, nonstandard) and leisure changes were assessed retrospectively at baseline. Depressive symptoms were measured prospectively in 3 waves (GDS-15). Growth mixture modeling determined symptom trajectories. Multivariable logistic regression and structural equation modeling examined associations and mediation and adjusted for covariates. Four depressive symptom trajectories occurred: stable low (48.3%), gradual increase (32.7%), high fluctuation (12.5%), and late-onset surge (6.5%). Compared with gradual transition, abrupt stop (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.87, 95% CI: 2.24–3.68) and nonstandard transition (aOR = 3.45, 2.68–4.44) were associated with higher odds of the late-onset surge trajectory. Leisure reconfiguration mediated 31.7% of the associations (17.1% for travel diversity). The association between low social support ( P interaction = .008) and low pension was stronger. In this observational study, gradual retirement through leisure reconfiguration was associated with a healthier trajectory of depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of recalled transitional experiences for mental health and support phased retirement and leisure participation policies, although causal inference is limited by retrospective assessment.