Family Social Support System and the Psychological Well-Being of the Ageing (60years and Above) in the Nso Community, North West Region of Cameroon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51699/mjssh.v2i8.705Keywords:
Family, social support system, psychological wellbeing, old ageAbstract
How people view and perceive the ageing process varies greatly from culture to culture. In Europe and America, older adults spend their later years in assisted living facilities or nursing homes. On the other hand, in traditional African societies, the aged are perceived to be the mediators between this world and the next, hence eldercare is supposed to be the responsibility of family members, provided within an extended family home. In traditional African societies, family social support systems exist where the younger and older generations live in sustained mutual cooperation and coordination that benefits members of each of these generations. The younger generation sees the aged as those who are weak, need care and support from the younger generation. The family in Africa is a complex institution and one cannot describe it without falling into the trap of generalisations and reductionism. Nevertheless, the family in Africa is the basic social unit founded on kinship, marriage, adoption, and other relational aspects. The preeminent theory emerging from these and other results is socio-emotional selectivity theory, which posits that as people age, they accumulate emotional wisdom that leads to selection of more emotionally satisfying events, friendships, and experiences. Thus, despite factors such as the death of loved ones, loss of status associated with retirement, deteriorating health and reduced income – though there is also a likelihood of reduced material needs - older people maintain and even increase self-reported well-being by focusing on a more limited set of social contacts and experiences. This article substantiates the importance of the family as a social support system for the old with an empirical study conducted amongst the Nso of the North West Region of Cameroon. The study used a mixed research design with a sample of 192 respondents. A questionnaire and an interview guide were used for the study. The findings of the study revealed that family social support systems significantly influence the psychological wellbeing of old people especially in rural communities of the Nso Fondom. Since old people have often been viewed from a negative perspective because old age is a period of decline in the physical and psychosocial well-being of old people, it is recommended that old people be given attention by the young such that there is a reciprocal relationship between them, for their psychological well-being.
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