Intergenerational Support between Older Adults and Adult Children in Nigeria: The Role of Reciprocity

The rapid change in the family support structure in developing countries could jeopardize the concept of reciprocal support an older adult receives in later life. This study explored the perception of reciprocity between older parents and adult children on intergenerational support in Northern Niger...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of gerontological social work 2020-07, Vol.63 (5), p.478-498
Main Authors: Akinrolie, Olayinka, Okoh, Augustine C, Kalu, Michael E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult children
Adults
Africa
caregiving
Debt
Developing countries
Family support
Financial support
intergenerational issues
Intergenerational relationships
LDCs
Older children
Older parents
Older people
Parents & parenting
Perceptions
Reciprocity
social support
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Summary:The rapid change in the family support structure in developing countries could jeopardize the concept of reciprocal support an older adult receives in later life. This study explored the perception of reciprocity between older parents and adult children on intergenerational support in Northern Nigeria. We purposely selected 18 participants and conducted face-to-face interviews. We analyzed the data using descriptive phenomenological method analysis. Three major themes emerged: characteristics of support, perceived support given and received to/from children, and perceived indebtedness/credit. Financial support is one of the most common types of support received by older adults. The perceived support given to adult children was expressed as "huge and sacrificial" by older adults. The adult children felt they are providing less support than they have received from their parents and expressed the feeling of indebtedness to their older parents. Generally, adult children perceived the need to reciprocate past support received from their older parents. The perception of reciprocity remains strong among Nigerians and plays a vital role in promoting intergenerational support between older parents and adult children. We discuss the implications of the findings, including the role of professionals to promote provision of other forms of support to older adults.
ISSN:0163-4372
1540-4048
DOI:10.1080/01634372.2020.1768459