Nigerian Journal 
of Applied Psychology
Volume 20 June 2018
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20, June 2018 i
ISSN 0189-5656 
Volume 20 _____June. 2018
Nigerian Journal
of
Applied Psychology
Department of Guidance and Counselling 
University of Ibadan
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Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20, June 2018 v
Contents
Vol. 20,1, 2018
Parental Distress in a Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Ward -  A 
Two Years Retrospective Study
Elizabeth Akin-Odanye, Chioma Asuzu and Biobele 
Brown........................................................................................1
Comparison of Professional Self Esteem of Public and Private School 
Mathematics Teachers in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State
Adedeji Telia........................................................................... 22
Impacts of Body Image on Well-Being and Life Satisfaction of 
Adolescents in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Smith, I. U. and Mojoyinola, J. K............................................36
Effects of Socio-Psychological Factors on Nurses Emotional Labour in 
Public Hospital in Ibadan
Jimoh A. M.. Ph.D. and Akinbo Tina Martha.......................... 54
Development and Validation of 4-Factor Mathematics Anxiety Scale 
among Secondary School Students in Ibadan
Taiwo A.K. and Rasaq T.A......................................................66
Narration on Impact of Body Image Disturbances on Identity 
Formation of Adolescent Girls
- Sabina N. Obi, Ph.D.................................................................. 90
Psychological Factors as Correlates of School Library Media 
Personnel's Job Performance in Federal Unity Schools in The North- 
Central, Nigeria
Olusegun A. Egunjobi Ph.D and Florence O. Ajani..............109
Paradigm Shift in Pedagogy: Students’ Learning Style Matters 
- Ofole, Ndidi, M. ......................................... ....... ........... 127
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VI Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
The Critical Role of Staff Development in Teacher Productivity in Nigeria 
- Ogundiran Samuel Ogunwale.......................................................145
Influence of Parental Involvement and Students’ Emotional 
Intelligence on the Academic Achievement of First-Year Students in 
Nigerian Universities
Ezekiel Olusegun Babatunde................................................. 162
Predictive Influence of Hope, Hardiness and Dispositional Optimism 
on Career Adaptability among Undergraduates in Ibadan, Nigeria
Adediran Temitope Adeleye.................................................. 176
Supporting Reading Instruction.Through The Use of Assistive 
Technological Devices for Students with Learning Disabilities
Kelechi Uchemadu Lazarus Ph.D.......................................... 195
Governance and Community Participation in Owo Local Government 
Area Administration, Ondo State
Edema Olagoke O................................................................. 211
Problem-Solving Skills Training In Fostering Identity Formation 
among Early Adolescents in Junior Secondary Schools in Ibadan, 
Nigeria
Jimoh A. M. and Olaojo A. Olubanke................................. 228
Appraisal of Perceived Psychological Factors on Adolescents’
Suicidal Ideation in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State
Adebayo D. Oluwole, Fehintola Victor Ayodeji, Adeola R.
Oluwole............................................................................... 245
Predictors of Quality of Life among the Elderly in Ibadan Metropolis, 
Oyo State.
- Adebunmi Oyebisi Oyekola, Ajibola Falaye & Opeyemi
Adebambo........................................................................... 266
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266 Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
Predictors of Quality of Life among the Elderly in Ibadan 
Metropolis, Oyo State
Adebunmi Oyebisi OYEKOLA, Ajibola FALAYE & Opeyemi
ADEBAMBO
Department of Guidance and Counselling 
University of Ibadan, Ibadan 
Email: dradebunniioyekola@gmail.com 
Phone No: 234-(0) 814 626 7027
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which depression, social support, 
socioeconomic status, and religiosity predicts quality of life among the 
elderly in Ibadan metropolis. Descriptive survey research design of 
correlation type was used in the study.
Six major communities were randomly selected within Ibadan 
metropolis and three hundred elderly men and women with mean age 
of 70.7years comprising of 187(62.3%) females and 113 (37.7%) males 
selected using purposive sampling technique participated in the study. 
Instruments used for data collection were,; Zung Self-rating Depression 
Scale (.73), Perceived Social Support Scale (.81), Spirituality Scale 
(.79), World Health Organization Quality Life Questionnaire 
(WHOQOL BRIEF .89), Socio-economic Status Scale (.73). Data 
analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and 
Multiple regression analysis at 0.05 level of significant.
Social support made the most significant contribution to the prediction 
of quality of life (P = .408, p<.05), socio-economic status (P=.277, 
<p.05), religiosity (P=.232, p<0.05) while depression yielded (P= .013 
p<0.05). Precisely the predictors contributed 51.8 %( adjusted R2 = 
0.518) to the variance of the criterion variable. Based on the findings, it 
was recommended that social support network of the elderly should be 
strengthened through the family system .to enhance their quality of life
Keywords: Elderly, Depression, Quality of life, Religiosity, Social 
support, Socio-economic status
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Introduction
In the light of United Nations (2011) report of a rapid increase in the 
population of the elderly and an estimation that the number of older 
persons would exceed the number of children by 2045 in most 
developing countries compared to developed countries; the goal of 
health for the elderly in the society may not be that of freedom from 
diseases but the possibility of having a good life despite illness and 
decreasing capacities (Sarvimaki and Stenbock-Hult, 2000). Therefore, 
apart from maintaining health and social participation, improving the 
quality of life of the elderly in developing countries has become one of 
the public health challenges of the 21st century. Quality of life (QOL) is 
used to evaluate the general well-being, meaning and value of 
individuals and societies. However, it is worthy of note that within 
different societies there are widespread core values and their absence or 
presence provides a means for the measure of QOL.
Quality of life is a subjective and multidimensional concept, defined as 
dynamic interactions between the external conditions of an individual’s 
life and the internal perceptions of those conditions (Browne, et al., 
1994). It incorporates in a complex way the persons' physical health, 
psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, 
personal beliefs and their relationships to salient features of the 
environment. According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2011) 
quality of fife (QOL) is an individual's perception of his/her status in 
life in the context of the individual’s environment, belief systems and 
goals. Minayo, (2003) provided a comprehensive indices of QOL as 
including motivations and social indicators, such as functional position 
(activities of self care, mobility, physical activities and performance of 
roles), disease and symptoms related to the treatment, social 
functioning (social activities and relationships), mental health (mood, 
self- esteem, well-being perception), spiritual and existential 
development, cultural values, environment security (suitable residence, 
economic income), love, freedom, happiness, satisfaction, among 
others. Simply put. QOL examines how people live, feel and 
understand their daily lives.
Consequently, quality of life is the extent to which objective human 
needs are fulfilled in relations to personal or group perceptions of 
subjective well-being which reflects an interaction of human needs and
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268 Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
a broad view of subjective perception of their fulfilment. Given its 
comprehensive nature and close link to an individual's feeling and 
perceptions, quality of life has an intrinsic and intuitive value. It is 
closely related to one of the basic desires of humans, which is to live 
well and feel good (Fleck, 2008). In sum, quality of life is an indicator 
of well-being and involves the process of optimizing health and 
enhancing active ageing of the elderly while mindful of differences 
between individuals in respect to health, physical capabilities, cognitive 
functioning, and social integration in old age (Clemens, 2012), 
Depression is a serious condition which impacts every area of life. 
Depression is a debilitating and globally common mental disorder 
affecting an estimated 350 million people worldwide (WHO, 2012). It 
is characterized by sadness, loss of interest in activities and by 
decreased energy, fatigue and excessive tiredness, as well as with 
psychomotor changes and projected to become the third leading cause 
of disability world-wide by 2020. It is differentiated from normal mood 
changes by the extent of its severity, the symptoms and the duration of 
the disorder (WHO, 2011). In addition depressive symptoms and 
disorders are frequent causes of emotional and physical suffering and 
are associated with elevated risks of impaired quality of life. This may 
be attributed to deteriorating body functioning in older adults which is 
presumed to increase biological vulnerability to depression (Dan, 
Blazer, and Hybels 2005). The prevalence of depression increases with 
age as more issues were found in older adults. Studies have reported 
that there is a relationship between depression and quality of life and 
that presence of depressive symptoms lowers the quality of life and low 
quality of life increases chances of developing depressive 
symptomatology (Stordal, Mykletun. & Dahl 2003; Dan, Blazer, and 
Hybels 2005;Gureje, Ademola, & Olley, 2008; Miedzianowski, 2015). 
In addition, extant studies reported that meaningful social relationships; 
in other words, social support are vital for elderly who may likely 
depend on others to perform salient routine activities and also provide a 
sense of security and opportunities for companionship and intimacy 
needed for their well-being (Melendez-Moral, Charco-Ruiz, 
Mayordomo-Rodriguwz & Sales-Galan, 2013; McNicholas, 2002; 
Fajemilehin, 2009; Giang and Dfau, 2009). Social support is widely 
regarded as valuable resources comprising tangible and intangible
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forms of assistance that individuals receive from family and friends. 
Cohen, Gottlieb, and Underwood (2000) stated that social support is 
often used in a broad sense, referring to any process through which 
social relations might promote health and well-being; it refers to the 
social resources that an individual perceive to be available or that are 
actually provided to them by non-professionals in the context of both 
formal support groups and informal helping relations. This implies that 
two categories of social support can be deduced - objective and 
subjective social support. Objective social support indicates w'hat 
people have actually received or report to have received wftile on the 
other hand is the subjective perception, which captures an individual's 
beliefs about the available support (Faber and Wassennan, 2002). The 
need for support and the amount of support received by old people is of 
a major concern as older people become the beneficiaries of reciprocity 
within a network of mutual dependence. Studies have shown that 
positive social relationship (with family, friends, and neighbours) 
promotes quality of life. In contrast, decreased social contacts which 
could occur through loss of members of a social network is 
significantly associated with poor quality of life (Sok.& Choi. 2012; 
Chan,et.al.2006), Higher levels of social support has also been linked 
to reduced risk of mental disorders, diseases, mortality and improved 
quality of life (Reblin, & Uchino, 2008).
Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined 
total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or 
family’s economic and social position in relation to others. It is a broad 
perspective involving a myriad of psychological and sociological 
mechanisms. It is mostly assessed based on income, education and 
occupation (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2008). 
According to Karcharnubarn, Rees, & Gould (2007) the socioeconomic 
situation of the elderly in developing countries is generally lower than 
those in developed and economically vibrant countries. However, low 
socioeconomic status has been reported to negatively affect quality of 
life and ability to live independently in old age. The variations in 
quality of life resulting from low SES also lead to unfavourable course 
in several health outcomes with an indication that lifetime poverty 
since childhood has a strongly negative impact on health outcomes 
later in life, particularly in late adulthood and old age. This is attributed
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270 Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
to increased earlier onset of health challenges and invariably a poor 
quality of life (Herd, Goesling, & House 2007; Moody-Ayers, 
Lindquist, Sen, & Covinsky, 2007). Also, elderly people who have 
adequate income do not have to worry about finances, they are 
confident and live comfortably, they have time to participate in social 
activities, sports and health care activities which gives room for 
improved QOL. While others with low economic power have to source 
for money even at old age hence have to worry about meeting financial 
obligation and in effect haw poor or lower QOL.
Furthermore, having a sense of financial independence and security and 
attaining financially independence has been described as a function of 
SES which gives an individual a sense of worth, pride and value. 
Therefore, inability to achieve the desired financial independence and 
security negatively affects the quality of life especially when the 
elderly is grossly dependent on significant others for everyday living. 
Low and Molzalin, (2007) reported that elderly with high 
socioeconomic status tend to enjoy more financial security than those 
in lower and middle levels of socioeconomic status. Gureje and 
Oyewole (2006) avers that social changes arising from dwindling 
finances and poor SES may affect the position of the elderly in the 
society and lead to a reduction in their social status and influence in the 
community and which may have negative impact on the quality of life. 
With respect to religiosity, previous studies maintained that religious 
practices bring a heightened sense of effectiveness, credibility, and 
dignity in older age and improve older people’s decisiveness around 
seeking out meaningful and satisfying activities (Pargament et al., 
2000; Low' & Molzahn, 2007; Sturz & Zografos, 2014). In addition, as 
people age, a sense of mortality tends to increase, and the tendency to 
depend on religious organizations to fulfil the physical, emotional, and 
social needs also increases. Therefore, many turn to religious activities 
in order to deal with the heightened sense of mortality in the face of the 
inevitable problems associated with aging. According to Hill and 
Pargament (2008) religiosity is traditionally conceptualized as the 
degree to which one adheres to an organized system of beliefs, 
practices and rituals intended for facilitating closeness to the sacred or 
a higher power. Allport and Ross (1967) argued that people can live 
with both personally and socially oriented religiosity and proposed two
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types of religiosity: intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity. Intrinsic 
religiosity involves internal spiritual beliefs, general attitudes or values 
toward religion and spirituality, or other religious and spiritual 
practices that are personal. In contrast, people with extrinsic religiosity 
consider religion as an instrumental means to solace and sociability that 
involves religious membership, social activities, or preference for their 
own religion.
Moreover, in old age, religious institutions such as churches, temples 
and mosques apart from being a place of worship, serves as a focal 
point for interaction where friends meet, families gather, and exchange 
of supportive activities take place. As stated by Agli, Bailly and 
Ferrand (2015), religious practices provide significant opportunities for 
meaningful social interaction in older age by integrating families and 
providing encouragement for an active family life. This implies that 
since for most elderly people there are limited opportunities for 
socialization hence, close and meaningful connections through 
engaging in religious activities become extremely important as a source 
of enjoyable activity (Anabere & DeLilly, 2013; Andresen & Puggaard, 
2008). In essence, relationship with God and nurturing this relationship 
through engaging in religious activities becomes an important way to 
experience the desired intimacy. Ironically, despite the benefits of 
religiosity, certain aspects of religiosity may create more harm than 
good for several reasons. First, religion may induce anxiety when it 
fosters psychologically harmful feelings such as guilt and shame or 
when it promotes adverse attitudes towards others and encourages 
unquestioning devotion and obedience or beliefs that tend towards 
being fanatical (Chatters, 2000; Nooney & Woodrum, 2002). Second, 
strained interactions with fellow church members could lead to 
depressive outcomes (Krause, Ellison, & Wulff, 1998). That being said, 
religious doubt or a feeling of uncertainty towards religious beliefs has 
been associated with negative mental health outcomes (Krause & Wulff, 
2004).
From the fore-going, it suggests that with increased life expectancy of 
the elderly is the challenge of ensuring having a population of elders 
with positive quality of life which will make living worthwhile. 
However, there is a tendency that an elderly who is depressed will be 
vulnerable to negative quality of life. Likewise, the dwindling nature of
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family cohesiveness and the erosion of the extended family system 
have created a society of socially isolated people. Also, with majority 
of the elderly grappling under the weight of unpaid pensions after 
serving the country in various capacities makes the dream of financial 
independence and security a mirage. Little wonder that majority revert 
to religion for solace in the face of the myriads of challenges. 
Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the predictors of quality of 
life among elderly in Ibadan metropolis.
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to examine the extent to which 
depression, social support, socioeconomic status, and religiosity will 
predict quality of life among the elderly in Ibadan metropolis. The 
specific objectives are to;
• Examine the relationship that exists between depression, social 
support, socioeconomic status, and religiosity and quality of life of the 
elderly in Ibadan metropolis.
• Ascertain the joint contribution of depression, social support, 
socioeconomic status, and religiosity to quality of life of elderly in 
Ibadan metropolis.
• Determine the relative contribution of depression, social 
support, socioeconomic status, and religiosity to quality of life of 
elderly in Ibadan metropolis.
Research Questions
1. Is there any relationship among the independent variables 
(depression, social support, socioeconomic status, and religiosity and 
quality of life of the elderly in Ibadan metropolis?
2. What is the joint contribution of depression, social support, 
socioeconomic status, and religiosity and quality of life of the elderly 
in Ibadan metropolis?
3. What is the relative contribution of depression, social support, 
socioeconomic status, and religiosity to quality of life of the elderly in 
Ibadan metropolis?
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Methodology 
Research Design
The study adopted the descriptive survey research design of 
correlational type, which relies mainly on primary data. The opinion, 
perception and reactions of the elderly within the age bracket of 65 
years and above in selected areas within the Ibadan Metropolis. The 
study population also embraced different categories of the aged in 
Ibadan which include the retirees, those who are still actively engaged 
in one activity or the other e.g. business but who are in the stipulated 
age bracket
Sample and Sampling Techniques
The sampling techniques used in selecting the samples for the study 
were non-probability sampling technique. In this technique, normal 
distribution of the population is not assumed unlike the probabilistic 
sampling. In this present study, for the purpose of clarity, purposive or 
judgmental sampling which is one form of non-probabilistic techniques 
was used. It involves the use of participants that were available during 
the time or period of research investigation. Purposive sampling 
technique was employed in this study. This is because the aim was to 
obtain information from a particular type of element. Elderly people 
who have attained the age of sixty-five (65) years and above in selected 
areas within Ibadan metropolis were randomly selected. A total sample 
of three hundred respondents was selected from the target population 
based on their willingness and availability to respond to the 
questionnaire.
Measures
The questionnaire designed for data collection include a bio-data 
section which was used to get information such as age, gender, 
religious affiliation, marital status, level of education, number of 
children, physical disability and work status. In addition, six 
standardized instruments were used. These include:
Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (1970)
This instrument was developed to measure depression. It contains 20 
items with a 4-point response rating ranging from “A little of the time 
(1)” to “Most of the time (4)”. Example of an item in the scale states
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274 Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
that “I feel down-hearted and blue.” The scale reported an internal 
reliability co-efficient of .73 when pilot tested.
Perceived Social Support - Zimet, Dahlern, Zimet & Farley (1988)
This scale measures the frequency and intensity of perceived social 
support. The scale is made up of 12 items sub-divided into three 
subscales of support from family, friends and significant others. An 
example of the items contained in the scale is “There is a special person 
who is around when I am in need.” The participants responded to a 5- 
point response fonnat ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly 
Agree (5) with high scores indicating a positive overall social support. 
The scale reported a high internal consistency reliability coefficient 
CronbaclTs alpha (a) = .81 when pilot tested.
Spirituality Scale - Delaney (2003)
This scale was developed by Delaney (2003) to measure individual’s 
level of religiosity/spirituality. This scale contains 23 items response 
format ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). An 
example of item on the scale is “I have a relationship with a Higher 
Power”. The original internal reliability co-efficient was reported as.87, 
however when pilot tested, the scale reported a reliability coefficient of 
-79.
World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-WHOQLQ 
(BRIEF) (1996)
This scale w'as used to assess the subjective perception of QOL among 
elderly. The WHOQOL-BREF includes 26 items; the first two 
questions assess the self-perceived quality of life and satisfaction with 
the person’s health. The remaining 24 questions were categorized in the 
following four domains: physical (7 items); psychological (6 items); 
social relationships (3 items) and environment (8 items). Each of these 
26 items was assigned scores that ranged from 1 to 5. The scale 
reported a high internal consistency reliability coefficient (Cronbach’s 
alpha (a) =.89.
Socio-economic status Scale
This is a self developed to measure the socio-economic status of the 
elderly. It contains 15 items with a 5-point response format ranging 
from strongly agree (5) to strongly disagree (1). An example of item on 
the scale is “I regularly spend more money than I have by using credit
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Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018 275
or borrowing from others”. The reliability coefficient value when pilot 
tested was reported as .73.
Procedure of Data Collection
The researcher and his assistants were at different places to distribute 
the questionnaires to respondents. We visited markets, mosques, elders 
in churches and we also went to government establishments where 
pensioners gathered. Copies of the questionnaires were also given to 
the elderly living in the neighbourhood. The respondents were asked to 
kindly and honestly respond to the questions and were assured that 
information provided will be treated with utmost confidentiality as it is 
strictly for the purpose of research. However, the researcher sought the 
assistance of a translator from the Tinguistic Department of the 
University of Ibadan who translated the items to Yoruba for those who 
do not understand English language.
Method of data analysis
Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the relationship 
among the independent variables and the dependent variable while 
Multiple Regression Analysis was used to analyse the joint contribution 
and the relative contribution of the independent variables on the 
dependent variable.
Results
Table 1: Demographic characteristics of the respondents
Age Frequency Percentage
65-69 Years 142 47.3
70-74 Years 45 15.0
75-79 Years 22 7.3
80-84 Years 40 13.3
85-89 Years 18 6.0
90+ Years 33 11.0
Total 300 100.0
Gender
Female 187 62.3
Male 113 37.7
Total 300 100.0
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276 Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
Religion
Christianity 173 57.7
Islam 127 42.3
Total 300 100.0
Marital Status
Married 170 56.7
Divorced/Separated 13 4.3
Widow 44 14.7
Never Married 73 24.3
Total 300 100.0
Level of Education
No Formal Education 50 16.7
Primary School 166 55.3
Secondary School 55 18.3
Tertiary Institution 29 9.7
Total 300 100.0
Working Status
Retired 111 37.0
Still in active work 163 54.3
Self Employed/Still in 26 8.7
business 300 100.0
Total
Number of Children
1-5 Children 218 72.7
6-10 Children 69 23.0
11-15 Children 9 3.0
21+ Children 4 1.3
Total 300 100.0
Research Question 1:
What relationship exists between depression, social support, socio­
economic status and religiosity and quality of life of the elderly in 
Ibadan metropolis?
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Table 2: Zero Order Correlation matrix showing the relationship that 
exist between depression, social support, socio-economic status,
religiosity and qua ity of life among elderly in I 3adan metropolis
Quality Depressi Social Religio Socio Mean S.D.
of Life on Suppo sity econo
rt mic
Status
Quality 1 79.35 14.34
of Life
Depressi -.077 1 43.22 8.28
on .182
Social .636** .001 1 51.45 16.06
Support .000 .989
Religiosi .496** -.343** .430** 1 85.24 13.19
ty .000 .000 .000
Socio .544** .038 .465** .336** 1 50.51 8.26
economi .000 .515 .000 .000
c Status
** Sig. at .05 level
Table 2 showed that there were positive significant relationships 
between quality of life and social support (r = .636, p<.05), Religiosity 
(r = .496, p <.05) and socio-economic status (r = .544, p<.05) however, 
the result indicated that there was no significant relationship between 
quality of life and depression (r = -.077, p >.05).
Research Question 2:
What is the joint contribution of depression, social support, socio­
economic status and religiosity on quality of life among the elderly in 
Ibadan metropolis?
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Table 3: ANOVA showing the joint contribution of depression, social 
support, socio-economic status and religiosity on quality of life of the 
elderly in Ibadan metropolis____________ ________ ____________
R R2 Adjusted Std. Error of 
R2 the Estimate
.724 .524 .518 9.9541
A N O V A
Model Sum of DF Mean F Sig. Remark
Squares Square
Regression 32231.924 4 8057.981 81.324 .000 Sig.
Residual 29230.023 295 99.085
Total 61461.947 299
Table 3 showed that the joint contribution of depression, social support, 
socio-economic status and religiosity on quality of life among elderly 
in Ibadan metropolis was significant. It revealed also a coefficient of 
multiple correlation of R = .724 and a multiple adjusted R2 of .518. 
This means that 51.8% of the variance in quality of life among the 
elderly was accounted for by the prediction of the independent 
variables when taken together at p<.05 level of significance. The 
ANOVA results from the regression analysis also attests to the causal 
relationship of the independent variables on the dependent variable; F 
(4, 295) = 81.324 <p.05. This implies that the joint contribution of the 
independent variables to the dependent variable was significant and 
that other variables not included in this model may have accounted for 
the remaining variance.
Research Question 3:
What is the relative contribution of depression, social support, socio­
economic status and religiosity to quality of life among the elderly in 
Ibadan metropolis?
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Table 4: Summary of Relative contribution of depression, social 
support, socio-economic status and religiosity to quality of life of the 
elderly in Ibadan metropolis_________________________________
Unstandardized Standardized
Model Coefficient Coefficient
P Std. P t Sig.
Error Contribution
1 (Constant) 13.820 6.397 2.161 .032
Depression 2.304E-02 .075 .013 .306 .760
Social .364 .043 .408 8.392 .000
Support
Religiosity .253 .053 .232 4.769 .000
Socio- .481 .080 .277 6.016 .000
Economic
Status
Table 4 revealed the relative contribution of each of the variables; 
depression, social support, socio-economic status and religiosity to 
quality of life among the elderly in Ibadan metropolis. The result 
showed that Social Support (p = .408, t= 8.392, p<.05) made the 
highest significant relative contribution, followed by socio-economic 
status (P = .277, t= 6.016, p<.05) and religiosity (P = .232, t= 6.016, 
p<.05). However, the result revealed that Depression (P = .013, t=.306, 
p>.05) had no significant relative contribution to the quality of life 
among the elderly in Ibadan Metropolis. This implies that social 
support, socio-economic status and religiosity were the only potent 
predictors of quality of life in this study. In essence, the support 
derived from family, friends, neighbours and other people around, the 
extent of financial independence and security and close relationship 
with the Supreme Being were the reasons for quality of life among the 
elderly. In effect, feeling depressed has no impact on quality of life of 
the elderly.
Discussion
This study examined the extent to which depression, social support, 
socioeconomic status, and religiosity predicts quality of life among the
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280 Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
elderly. More specifically it examined the relationship, joint and 
relative contributions of depression, social support, socio-economic 
status and religiosity to quality of life among the elderly. The findings 
provided evidence that there was a significant relationship between 
social support, religiosity, socioeconomic status and quality of life. 
This corroborates the findings of (Okumagba 2011; who reported that 
family support has impact on quality of life of the elderly and that poor 
quality of life is an indication of absence of necessary social support 
from family members. This implies that social relationship promotes 
quality of life through the benefits created, particularly when such 
relationships are meaningful and engaging. Particular note should be 
made of the setting of this present study, which can be said to be a 
social environment with deep rooted cultural norms and perception 
regarding the family and where family networks continue to be the 
major source of psychosocial support for the elderly. Hence the family 
is traditionally viewed as the major source of support and caregiver for 
the elderly. However, contemporary changes in the structure of the 
family in recent times have greatly affected the availability of such 
family support in old age in most communities.
With regards to socio-economic status, the result of this study agrees 
with previous studies (Breeze et al 2004; Everad et al 2008, Gureje, 
Kola, Afolabi & Olley 2008) report that socioeconomic status has 
significant impact on QOL of the elderly The effect of poverty is more 
likely to be felt by the more vulnerable sections of the society which 
include the elderly. Elderly persons are clearly at an elevated risk for 
the consequences of poverty, especially in a country where there is no 
adequate provision for the care of the elderly in terms of social security 
and prompt payment of pensions. Another plausible explanation for the 
effect of socio economic status on QOL is that elderly who have higher 
educational level, adequate income and social resources are better able 
to engage in age appropriate health activities which invariably enhance 
QOL. This finding also implies that individual’s socio economic status 
reflected through educational background, income and social resources 
contribute in no small measure to the attainment of positive quality of 
life. This further underscores the serious impact of mass poverty on the 
growing population of elderly persons in the country.
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Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018 281
However, depression was found not to have any significant relationship 
with quality of life. This is perhaps partly an unexpected result because 
extant literature has previously documented that depression correlated 
negatively with quality of life (Gureje, Kola, & Afolabi, 2007; Ibrahim 
et ah, 2013) which showed that people with depression had impaired 
quality of life. The plausible explanation for the finding in this study 
may be attributed to the report that deteriorating mental status, such as 
dementia and depression are perceived as a part of normal ageing in 
some societies and culture thereby majority fail to avail prompt 
treatment that will improve the quality of life among the elderly. Or 
that depression among aged may often go undiagnosed, especially in 
societies such as Nigeria, where symptoms of mental illnesses are 
entangled with myths, superstitions, taboos and ignorance. Moreover 
psychiatric illness causes considerable stigma that strip them off their 
dignity and results in isolation and hopelessness. (Lievesley, 
HayesJones, & Clark 2009; Kishore, Gupta, Jiloha. & Bantman 2011; 
Holm, Lyberg, & Severinsson 2014). Also it may be an issue of living 
in denial or the complexities attributable to religiosity where people are 
encouraged to be hopeful in any situation and not confess negative 
words concerning life challenges encountered. In fact, Idler, 
Mclaughlin & Kasl, (2009) reported that those with deep religious 
commitment showed greater sociability, better health, lower 
depression scores and found life more exciting compared with less 
religious elderly..
The relationship of religiosity to QOL found in this study is in 
consonance with what previous studies suggest (Lee, Nezu, & Nezu, 
2014; Skevington, Gunson, & O'Connell. 2013; Vitorino et al., 2015) 
that the elderly tend to deeply value their religious beliefs and through 
engaging in religious activities they derive strategies to cope with the 
challenges of growing old thus improving their QOL. This implies that 
religiosity may directly or indirectly affect health because it generally 
provides an extensive social support network, a reduction of unhealthy 
behaviours such as alcohol, smoking and drug abuse, the lowering of 
blood pressure and muscle tension, and the promotion of positive 
emotional states. Also involvement in religious activities, especially 
saying prayers may lessen depression and being deeply religious gives 
a greater likelihood and opportunity of having more friends and better
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282 Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018
self-rated health hence better QOL. Therefore, religion can be a 
powerful resource for the health care of older adults, leading them to 
improved quality of life.
Implication of the study
The relationship and contribution of depression, social support, 
socioeconomic status and religiosity to Quality of Life among the 
elderly cannot be over emphasized. Therefore, this study has 
contributed to the existing literature in gerontology and is useful for 
reference purposes. In view of the reported increase in life expectancy 
in Nigeria and globally, there is the need for the government to 
urgently put in place mechanism for the care of the elderly in the 
society in order to improve the socio-economic status and thus reduce 
the spate of poverty and hardship among the populace and by extension 
the elderly for a better QOL. The rise in the cost of living and high 
inflation has often made it difficult for the family to give the necessary 
care and support for the elderly. Also, the advantages of religiosity 
could be further explored beyond how it is harnessed into life and 
living of the people since religious beliefs provides motivation for 
adherents to form friendship with each other to the exclusion of other 
relationships which has been found to have a positive effect on the 
emotional and mental health.
This study also reflects the need of the elderly for social network, 
support and engagement. It shows that contact with family members, 
friends and participation in community activities are germane to 
providing social support and networks for the QoL of elderly people. It 
is likely that such factors are taking on increasingly more significant 
meaning for the elderly as the contemporary social changes affect the 
structure of the traditional extended family and economic pressures 
lead to unavailability of family members to provide the age long 
connectedness families are known to provide. This leads to social 
isolation of the elderly in our settings to the extent that some have 
started considering engaging the not so popular residential care 
facilities in taking care of the elderly a practice that is not yet common 
in our setting.
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Nigerian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol. 20 June 2018 283
Conclusion
The findings clearly show that quality of life of the elderly population 
in Nigeria is becoming an important issue, on account of the growing 
number of the elderly people in the population. Therefore, myriads of 
factors affecting the QOL of the elderly people must be monitored and 
used to achieve a better outcome in line with the Nigerian culture 
which emphasizes the respectful treatment of the elderly. It is therefore 
necessary that efforts must be made to strengthen financial 
independence and security and the support systems for taking care of 
the elderly population.
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