Prevalence of depression among male retirees in University of Nigeria, Nsukka: Relationship of income and age

Abstract

Depression is the most common and serious medical illness that negatively affects people’s feelings, thoughts, and actions, and retired civil servants are not left out in this scourge. This study investigated the relationship between income and age on depression among retired male civil servants in a university community in Nigeria. Three specific objectives guided the study. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 5000 retired staff members of the University of Nigeria Nsukka. A random sampling method was used to select 350 retired staff. The instrument for data collection for the study was the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) which showed acceptable Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency (0.752). Frequencies and percentages were used to answer the research questions while Chi-Square (ꭓ2) statistics at 0.05 level of significance were used to test the null hypotheses. Findings revealed that many (43.4%) of retired civil servants experienced depression. The income level of respondents was significantly associated with depression (ꭓ2 =6.760, df = 2, p = 0.034). Retired civil servants who earned less than ₦50,000 experienced a moderate proportion (65.3%) of depression and retired civil servants who earned between ₦50,000-100,000 and above ₦100,000 experienced a moderate proportion (50.7%) and (51.2%) of depression respectively. The age of the respondents was not associated with depression (ꭓ2 = 3.765, df = 2, p = 0.152). The study concluded that the prevalence of depression among retired civil servants was high. A recommendation was made for the government to be paying the gratuity and subsequent pension of the retired civil servants as at when due to check and avoid depression after service.