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 (ꭓ 2) 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 (ꭓ 2 =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 (ꭓ 2 = 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.