Transitions and Old Age Potential - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wave

With the third wave of the Transitions and Old Age Potential (TOP) study, the longitudinal study of initially 5,002 individuals was completed in 2019. Initial findings were published in 2020 through a brochure, policy brief, and methodological report, and presented publicly. The third wave produced two datasets: a panel of 1,561 individuals surveyed across all three waves (2013, 2015/16, 2019) and a couple datasets with 576 complete interviews. Additional data sources such as DEAS, FWS, and SHARE complement the analyses. In 2021, efforts centered on preparing scientific articles for peer-reviewed journals and archiving the third wave at GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, concluding the study that ran from 2011 to 2021.

For further information, see: https://search.gesis.org/research_data/ZA6597 and https://doi.org/10.4232/1.13845

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Key information

Conditions

Retirement Elderly Healthy Adults

Age range

55 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

About this study

Content and Objectives In 2019, the third wave of the study Transitions and Old Age Potential (TOP) was completed. In addition to the repeated interviews of some of those who had already participated in the study in previous waves, partners were also interviewed. The aim of this supplementary survey was to gain insights into retirement transition in a couple of contexts, focusing on the phenomenon of joint retirement. The initial results were published in June 2020 in the form of a brochure and a policy brief and presented at a press conference. Another publication was the methodological report on the third wave in German and English. In 2021, the focus was on the final editing and submission of the scientific articles from TOP in peer-reviewed journals. The archiving of the third wave of TOP as a scientific use file at GESIS was planned for October 2021. This step concluded the TOP study.

Data and Methods

Within the framework of the third wave of the TOP study, 1,561 persons could be interviewed for the second time. Regarding the partners of these persons, a gross sample of 832 persons resulted, after completion of the last address and panel maintenance of the year 2017/2018. After completion of the field phase of the third wave, 576 complete interviews were available at the couple level. The TOP study thus comprised of two data sets after the completion of the third wave:

the panel data set comprised the persons who had participated in the study on all three survey dates (2013, 2015/2016 and 2019) (1,561 persons) as well as the couple sample with the information provided by the anchors (with current partner from the third survey wave) and the partners from 2019 (576 couple interviews).

In addition to the data from TOP, other studies are also used for the scientific articles, such as the German Ageing Survey (DEAS), the German Volunteer Survey (FWS) and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Duration 01/2011-12/2021

Selected Publications see https://search.gesis.org/research_data/ZA6597

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

aged 55-70
telephone
german language

Exclusion criteria

illiterate
no consent

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Loneliness

Time frame: year 2019

Loneliness was assessed at T3 using three items from the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-Loneliness Scale) in its short form, based on four-point Likert scales. The loneliness index was calculated as the mean value of the three items with higher means indicating greater loneliness/worse outcome: (0 =never-3=often)
Retirement

Time frame: years 2013, 2015/2016 and 2019

Retirement was assessed at T1 by asking participants whether they received a pension or not, with responses transformed into a binary pension/retirement variable (1=yes, 2=no).
Physical Activity (PA)

Time frame: years 2013, 2015/2016 and 2019

PA was determined by asking participants how often (<1, 1-2, 3-4, 5+ times per week) they were physically active for more than 30 minutes at T1, T2, and T3.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH

Other

Collaborators

Federal Institute for Population Research (BIB)
German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI)

Registry information

Official study title

Transitions and Old Age Potential: Übergänge Und Alternspotenziale (TOP)

Acronym: TOP

Important dates

Study start: 2013
Primary completion: 2019
Study completion: 2019
First posted: Dec 24, 2025
Registry last updated: Dec 24, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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