"Our culture doesn't welcome seeing caring for older people as a burden": understanding older adults' experiences of coping with unpaid caregiving in Nigeria.

objectivesThere is limited insight in the caregiving literature regarding how cultural factors shape the choice of coping strategies of unpaid caregivers. Although research in high-income countries reveals adoption of coping approaches based on age and caregiving circumstances, similar insights are less clear in unpaid caregiving settings in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan African nations (e.g., Nigeria), where caregiving is deeply embedded in complex social, religious, and cultural contexts. This study thus aimed to investigate older Nigerian unpaid caregivers' coping mechanisms.

methodsAligning with ages 50-55 as common definitions of older adulthood in sub-Saharan African gerontological studies, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 community-dwelling older unpaid caregivers aged 54-88. The study was guided by Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological design, while the qualitative data were managed with QSR NVivo 12 software.

resultsOur findings include themes of meaning-making, problem-focused coping, and emotional coping. The caregivers' utilization of diverse coping strategies was rooted in their Christian religious beliefs and Afrocentric cultural norms. DISCUSSION: Sustaining the culture of family caregiving in collectivist societies such as Nigeria is critical. Our findings highlight the urgent need for the recognition of the growing population of older unpaid caregivers and the integration of their support needs into policy frameworks at the federal, state, and local government levels in Nigeria. Additionally, health care and social work interventions must be tailored to address caregivers' individual situations, incorporating their spiritual beliefs and cultural backgrounds to ensure that they receive the required holistic support to thrive in their caring roles.