Aging and Caring: Exploring Older Adults’ Motivation for Informal Caregiving to Other Aging Individuals in Nigeria

Background and Objectives: Because of the global population aging, more informal carers become older adults. In Nigeria, the African country with the largest population of adults aged 60 years and older, self-construal rooted in the African collectivist philosophy generally shapes informal caregiving for older adults. However, there is a general paucity of studies on older adults’ informal caregiving roles, particularly about their motivations for caregiving. This study explored older adults’ motives for informal caregiving to their care recipients in urban Southeast Nigeria.

Research Design and Methods: This study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological research design. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 purposively selected older adults aged 54–88 who were the primary carers of other older adults in the family and community. The collected data were analyzed using van Manen’s thematic analysis method, using QSR NVivo 12 software.

Results: A total of 4 main themes emerged from the participants’ responses: reciprocity of kindness, altruism, a sense of moral responsibility, and eagerness for peaceful longevity. The findings generally showed that religion and culture were the latent factors ingrained in these motivations for informal caregiving.

Discussion and Implications: Although the African philosophy emphasizes altruism, reciprocity seems more prominent in specific traditional African communities, as observed in Southeast Nigeria. It serves as a means to prioritize family members’ needs. The findings indicate the need for the government to establish sustainable programs and policies that support older people in their caregiving role. Doing so will enable carers to derive psychosocial gains from informal caregiving and sustain the caregiving culture of Nigeria.

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.