Psycho-Social Contexts of Retirement in Nigeria and Their Comparison with USA

The article investigates Nigerians' perception and attitudes towards their retirement. 120 male retirees in an old Nigerian trading town were interviewed on psycho-social contexts of retirement which was seen by most subjects as a beginning of a new phase in their lives. It was found that more than two-thirds of the family income came from retiree's pension. The income contributed by the retiree's children was much lower than that from his wife or wives. On the Enugu Somatization Scale many retirees scored high indicating psycho-social stresses, which may be attributed to the loss of their social status and the current economic crisis in Nigeria. Finally, cross­ cultural comparisons have been made by quoting data from USA.