Satisfaction With Children's Achievements and Health Outcomes in a Sample of Community Older Adults in Nigeria.

Background and Objectives: In most African societies with little or no social welfare services for older adults, many parents regard their children as personal investments and security for the future. As a result, satisfaction with children's achievements may be necessary for older parents' physical and mental health. This study examined the association between satisfaction with adult children's achievements (SACA) and health outcomes (regarding somatic health, self-rated health, anxiety, and depression) in a sample of Nigerian older adults. Research Design and Methods: By using the multistage sampling technique in a cross-sectional survey, 465 older adults (mean age = 74.18 ±â€…9.42) consisting of 294 women were selected from 14 rural communities in a State in Nigeria. Data were collected using validated instruments and analyzed using multiple linear regression and multigroup analyses in SPSS AMOS. Results: High SACA was significantly associated with low somatic health problems, positive self-rated health, and low levels of anxiety and depression, even after controlling for sociodemographic factors, children's support, social engagement, and loneliness. Further analyses indicated that the relationship between SACA and depression was only significant in women and more robust in the widowed. Also, SACA was associated with somatic health among the married but not the widowed. The level of children's support was not a significant moderator. Discussion and Implications: Parents can experience positive emotions and, consequently, good health from being satisfied with their children's achievements regardless of perceived children's support. Assessing SACA may aid in better diagnoses and formulation of a more effective clinical intervention to improve the well-being of older adults in developing societies.

The mental health of non-commissioned soldiers deployed to Boko-Haram zones in Nigeria: Examining the roles of rank and other armed service characteristics.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study examined the roles of rank and its interaction with armed service characteristics, including combat exposure, frequency of deployments, and length of service on psychological distress among non-commissioned military officers (NCOs). METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 256 NCOs (Meanage = 34.10 ± 7.33) of the Nigerian Army deployed to fight Boko Haram in North-East, Nigeria, participated in the study. Data were collected using self-report instruments and analyzed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: The ranks of corporal and lance corporal/private (LCP) were associated with greater psychological distress than the sergeants. However, corporals had higher psychological distress than sergeants and LCPs. Rank accounted for almost twice the variances in psychological distress more than other service characteristics. LCPs had adverse mental health at increased service length than sergeants and corporals. Also, LCPs were more vulnerable to stress at higher combat experience than the corporals. CONCLUSION: Other factors may be inherent in rank effect on psychological distress beyond combat experience, deployments, and service length. Nevertheless, these service characteristics are important in the rank effect on psychological distress. Identifying relevant combat-related structural problems may additionally explain the association of rank with psychological distress beyond combat experience, deployments, and service length among NCOs.

Loneliness and happiness in the face of the COVID-19 lockdown: Examining the pathways through somatic symptoms and psychological distress.

Studies show that loneliness was higher during the pandemic than in the pre-pandemic periods, with negative consequences on individual happiness. This study extends current knowledge by investigating the indirect effects of somatic symptoms and psychological distress in the loneliness-happiness relationship during the COVID-19 lockdown. The cross-sectional sample comprises 538 Nigerian adults (Meanage = 36.48 ± 12.03) with 43% females. Data were collected using structured self-report instruments and subjected to path analyses in SPSS AMOS. Results showed that loneliness and happiness were negatively related. Loneliness and happiness were indirectly related through the successive association between somatic symptoms and psychological distress. Specifically, greater loneliness was associated with increased somatic symptoms, which in turn were associated with greater psychological distress and reduced happiness levels. Clinicians can manage the decline in happiness from loneliness during the pandemic lockdown by administering treatments that mitigate somatic symptoms and psychological distress in concerned clients.

Is Geropsychology "Forever Young" on the Mother Continent? Addressing the Limited Research on Psychology of Aging in Africa.

OBJECTIVES: Our paper highlights areas of interest to psychologists studying aging in Africa and what has already been learned about aspects of psychological aging from studies done in the African context. We also considered whether there are issues that are unique about aging in the African context that might challenge how aging is typically considered in psychology research. METHODS: We reviewed articles recently published in major gerontology journals focusing on African older adults, with the goal of identifying key themes of current geropsychology in Africa. RESULTS: We identified a number of dominant themes including: subjective aging, psychosocial impact of widowhood at old age, aging in place, stress and caregiving, cognitive aging, interrelations between HIV and aging, and successful aging. DISCUSSION: The themes of psychological aging research identified as especially relevant in Africa provide a starting point for psychological aging researchers in general to engage with the African context. Many African countries may be facing common challenges, but the existing studies are not fully representative of the aging population in the continent. Creating a framework for organizing and coordinating funding will help to address the limited research on geropsychology in Africa. Collaborative research projects/programs, joint classrooms, and fellowships that support African geropsychology scholars will be helpful. Geropsychology will benefit from more engagement with the African context by applying innovative approaches such as the adoption of longitudinal designs, mixed-method research, Experience Sampling Methods, translation of measures into indigenous languages, involvement of rural samples, and implementation science and community-engaged research.

Mistrust in government and COVID-19 vaccination acceptance in Nigeria: investigating the indirect roles of attitudes towards vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that trust in government is associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. However, there is no empirical evidence suggesting the pathway by which this association is formed. This study examines how dimensional attitudes towards vaccination explain the relationship between mistrust in government and COVID-19 vaccination acceptance. METHODS: The study was an online cross-sectional survey involving 1026 adults (of which 58.9% are female) resident in Nigeria with a mean age of 26.09 (±8.46) years. Data were collected using structured questionnaires assessing the level of mistrust in government, dimensional attitudes towards vaccination, and acceptance to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. RESULTS: Results show that 56.8% of participants mistrust the government, while COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rate was 28.2%. Mistrust in government was significantly associated with low acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Furthermore, mistrust in the government was predictive of negative attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination which include worries about unforeseen future effects of vaccines, mistrust of vaccine benefits (MVB), concerns about commercial profiteering (CCP), and preference for natural immunity. The outcomes of indirect effect analyses indicated that mistrust in government was associated with high mistrust in vaccine benefits (MVB) and increased concerns about commercial profiteering (CCP), which in turn lead to low acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Mistrust in the government was high and was coupled with low vaccination acceptance. It is important to initiate culturally relevant awareness programs aiming at combating false notions about COVID-19 vaccination such as MVB and CCP arising from mistrust in government.

Forgiveness Mediates the Protective Role of Religiosity on Psychological Distress: Findings from Inmates in Eswatini Correctional Centres.

This study examined the mediating role of forgiveness in the relationship between religiosity and psychological distress among 244 inmates (Meanage = 31.6) in Eswatini, a country in Southern Africa formerly called Swaziland. Results showed that religiosity, forgiveness and psychological distress were related in the expected direction. Outcomes of SEM analyses indicated that high religiosity was associated with greater forgiveness, which in turn associated with low distress. While the presence of positive feelings of forgiveness was a significant mediator, the absence of negative feelings was not. Psychotherapeutic techniques targeting lower distress from religiosity should utilize forgiveness interventions with a special focus on the presence of positive feelings toward the offender.

Gender influence on loneliness and family and nonfamily support among older adults: The confounding role of widowhood.

Based on interviews with 465 community elders in Ekiti-State, Nigeria, this study addressed the questions: (a) Do older men and women differ in self-reported loneliness, family and nonfamily support?; and (b) If so, is this relationship maintained when controlling for widowhood, age, social-engagements, extroversion, and neuroticism? Three independent models were tested using one-way MANOVA and MANCOVA. Compared to males, females reported more loneliness and less family support. However, these outcomes became nonexistent after excluding widowhood. Gender maintained significance after excluding other covariates. The study buttresses the primary importance of widowhood in the gender differences found in later-life loneliness and family supports.

The extraversion-neuroticism and geriatric depression relations: do social engagements and social supports have roles to play?

Evidence on the social pathways by which personality traits associate with depressive feeling is lacking. This study assessed the mediating roles of social engagements and social supports on the associations of extraversion and neuroticism with depressive symptoms among 465 older adults (Meanage = 74.18 ± 9.42) recruited from the senatorial districts of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Major assumptions were tested in structural equation modelling frame-work. High extraversion influenced both high engagements in social activities and perceived social supports, and then low depressive symptoms. High neuroticism predicted both low social engagements and social supports, and then increased depressive symptoms. While a full mediation was established between extraversion and depression, a partial one was found between neuroticism and depression. The total effect of neuroticism on depression surpassed that of extraversion. Psychotherapeutic interventions targeting depression from high neuroticism may aim frequent social engagements and seeking family and non-family supports.

Physical health burdens and emotional distress in later life: the mediating effects of self-rated health.

Physical health burdens have been shown to predict geriatric depression and anxiety, but there is scarce knowledge about the mechanism by which these occur. This study examined the extent to which self-rated health (SRH) mediated the associations between physical health burdens and anxiety/depression in a sample of 465 older adults between ages 60-93 residing in Ekiti State Senatorial Districts, Nigeria. The number of medical diagnoses and physical impairments significantly predicted both anxiety and depression. SRH was significantly and negatively associated with medical diagnoses, physical impairments, anxiety and depression. Furthermore, SRH was found to fully mediate the relationship between medical diagnoses and anxiety/depression. While a full mediation was found for SRH in the relationship between physical impairments and anxiety, a partial mediation was found between impairments and depression. Collectively, these results suggest that SRH may be a necessary link between physical health burdens and emotional distress at old age.

Later-life satisfaction with adult children's achievements: does parents' personality matter?

The happy personality model proposes that individuals with happy personality traits are more satisfied with the events of their lives than those who are not. Based on this proposition, this study examined whether parents' personality - as measured by the Big Five typology - would predict satisfaction with the achievements of adult children. Participants include 465 community elders from Ekiti State, comprising 294 mothers with mean age 74.18 ± 9.42. Both univariate and multivariate statistics were used in data analyses. Results indicated that mothers' extraversion and conscientiousness respectively predicted satisfaction with children's achievements in relationships and spirituality. Conversely, mothers' neuroticism predicted dissatisfaction in education, occupation, finances and health achievements. Fathers' agreeableness and openness traits respectively predicted satisfaction in education and occupation. These results provide support for the happy personality model by demonstrating that extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness predict satisfaction with life events, while neuroticism predicts dissatisfaction.