AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
Review Article
May 21, 2026 2 2

Public Health and Psychosocial Stress in Ageing Nigerians: A Life-Course Narrative Review of Risk and Resilience

Aliyu Olanrewaju Olaniyi 1,
Evelyn Foster-Pagaebi 2 * ,
Lilian Chinweotito Awah 3,
Happiness Ifedolapo Olaniyi 4,
Joseph Oluwadimimu Olorunda 5
1 Department of Geriatrics, Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa, Nigeria3 Department of Nursing, Lehman College, City University of New York, New York, USA4 Barton Brook Nursing Home, Eccles, Manchester, United Kingdom5 Department of Public Health, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, United Kingdom* Corresponding Author
Australian Journal of Biomedical Research, 2(2), 2026, aubm022, https://doi.org/10.63946/aubiomed/18580
Publication date: May 21, 2026
Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Background: Nigeria is undergoing a rapid demographic transition, with the population aged 60 years and above projected to triple by 2050. Ageing in this context is shaped by long-standing structural inequalities, cumulative psychosocial stressors, and limited access to age-appropriate health and social services. Existing research on ageing in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa remains fragmented and rarely adopts an integrative life-course perspective.
Objective: This narrative review examines how psychosocial stressors and social vulnerability accumulate across the lifespan to influence health outcomes among ageing Nigerians, while also exploring the role of resilience and protective factors.
Methods: Guided by life-course theory and the concept of allostatic load, this review synthesizes multidisciplinary evidence from peer-reviewed literature and authoritative grey sources. Evidence was thematically organized across early life, midlife, and later life stages, focusing on structural vulnerability, psychosocial stress, and resilience mechanisms.
Results: Cumulative exposure to poverty, gender inequality, informal employment, caregiving burden, and health system limitations is associated with increased risks of chronic disease, mental ill-health, functional decline, and reduced quality of life in later life. Early-life adversities initiate trajectories of disadvantage that are amplified during midlife and compounded in older age by social isolation and economic insecurity. While resilience embedded in family networks, community cohesion, and spirituality provides partial protection, these mechanisms are insufficient to offset systemic deficits.
Conclusion: Ageing in Nigeria reflects the long-term embodiment of psychosocial stress and structural vulnerability. Public health responses must adopt life-course-oriented strategies that integrate geriatric care into primary healthcare, strengthen social protection systems, and support culturally grounded resilience mechanisms to promote equitable and dignified ageing.

KEYWORDS

Life-Course Perspective Psychosocial Stressors Ageing and Health Risk and Resilience Older Adults Nigeria

CITATION (Vancouver)

Olaniyi AO, Foster-Pagaebi E, Awah LC, Olaniyi HI, Olorunda JO. Public Health and Psychosocial Stress in Ageing Nigerians: A Life-Course Narrative Review of Risk and Resilience. Australian Journal of Biomedical Research. 2026;2(2):aubm022. https://doi.org/10.63946/aubiomed/18580
APA
Olaniyi, A. O., Foster-Pagaebi, E., Awah, L. C., Olaniyi, H. I., & Olorunda, J. O. (2026). Public Health and Psychosocial Stress in Ageing Nigerians: A Life-Course Narrative Review of Risk and Resilience. Australian Journal of Biomedical Research, 2(2), aubm022. https://doi.org/10.63946/aubiomed/18580
Harvard
Olaniyi, A. O., Foster-Pagaebi, E., Awah, L. C., Olaniyi, H. I., and Olorunda, J. O. (2026). Public Health and Psychosocial Stress in Ageing Nigerians: A Life-Course Narrative Review of Risk and Resilience. Australian Journal of Biomedical Research, 2(2), aubm022. https://doi.org/10.63946/aubiomed/18580
AMA
Olaniyi AO, Foster-Pagaebi E, Awah LC, Olaniyi HI, Olorunda JO. Public Health and Psychosocial Stress in Ageing Nigerians: A Life-Course Narrative Review of Risk and Resilience. Australian Journal of Biomedical Research. 2026;2(2), aubm022. https://doi.org/10.63946/aubiomed/18580
Chicago
Olaniyi, Aliyu Olanrewaju, Evelyn Foster-Pagaebi, Lilian Chinweotito Awah, Happiness Ifedolapo Olaniyi, and Joseph Oluwadimimu Olorunda. "Public Health and Psychosocial Stress in Ageing Nigerians: A Life-Course Narrative Review of Risk and Resilience". Australian Journal of Biomedical Research 2026 2 no. 2 (2026): aubm022. https://doi.org/10.63946/aubiomed/18580
MLA
Olaniyi, Aliyu Olanrewaju et al. "Public Health and Psychosocial Stress in Ageing Nigerians: A Life-Course Narrative Review of Risk and Resilience". Australian Journal of Biomedical Research, vol. 2, no. 2, 2026, aubm022. https://doi.org/10.63946/aubiomed/18580

REFERENCES

  1. Mbam KC, Halvorsen CJ, Okoye UO. Ageing in Nigeria: A growing population of older adults requires the implementation of national ageing policies. Gerontologist. 2022;62(8):1243–50. doi:10.1093/geront/gnac121
  2. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World population prospects 2022: summary of results [Internet]. New York: United Nations; 2022 [cited 2025 Aug 13]. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp
  3. Lawanson OI, Umar DI. The life expectancy–economic growth nexus in Nigeria: The role of poverty reduction. SN Bus Econ. 2021;1:127. doi:10.1007/s43546-021-00119-9
  4. Animasahun VJ, Chapman HJ. Psychosocial health challenges of the elderly in Nigeria: A narrative review. Afr Health Sci. 2017;17(2):575–83. doi:10.4314/ahs.v17i2.35
  5. Aboderin IAG. Understanding and advancing the health of older populations in sub-Saharan Africa: Policy perspectives and evidence needs. Public Health Rev. 2011;32:357.
  6. Elder GH, Johnson MK, Crosnoe R. The emergence and development of life course theory. In: Mortimer JT, Shanahan MJ, editors. Handbook of the life course. New York: Springer; 2003. p. 3–19. doi:10.1007/978-0-306-48247-2_1
  7. Dannefer D. Cumulative advantage/disadvantage and the life course: Cross-fertilising age and social science theory. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2003;58(6):S327–37. doi:10.1093/geronb/58.6.S327
  8. Polick CS, Harris-Gersten ML, Dennis PA, et al. Allostatic load, morbidity, and mortality among older adults: A multi-wave analysis from the National Health and Aging Trends Study. J Appl Gerontol. 2024;43(6):1052–9. doi:10.1177/07334648241230010
  9. Juster RP, McEwen BS, Lupien SJ. Allostatic load biomarkers of chronic stress and impact on health and cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2010;35(1):2–16. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.10.002
  10. Green BN, Johnson CD, Adams A. Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: Secrets of the trade. J Chiropr Med. 2006;5(3):101–17. doi:10.1016/S0899-3467(07)60142-6
  11. Baumeister RF, Leary MR. Writing narrative literature reviews. Rev Gen Psychol. 1997;1(3):311–20. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.1.3.311
  12. Ferrari R. Writing narrative style literature reviews. Med Writ. 2015;24(4):230–5. doi:10.1179/2047480615Z.000000000329
  13. Wagner C, et al. Life course epidemiology and public health. Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(3):e172–e183.
  14. Agbaje OS, Nnaji CP, Nwagu EN, et al. Adverse childhood experiences and psychological distress among higher education students in southeast Nigeria. Arch Public Health. 2021;79:62. doi:10.1186/s13690-021-00587-3
  15. Oladeji BD, Makanjuola VA, Gureje O. Family-related adverse childhood experiences as risk factors for psychiatric disorders in Nigeria. Br J Psychiatry. 2010;196(3):186–91. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.109.063677
  16. Shonkoff JP, Boyce WT, McEwen BS. Neuroscience, molecular biology, and the childhood roots of health disparities. JAMA. 2009;301(21):2252–9. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.754
  17. Guidi J, Lucente M, Sonino N, Fava GA. Allostatic load and its impact on health: A systematic review. Psychother Psychosom. 2021;90(1):11–27. doi:10.1159/000510696
  18. Mobolaji JW, Akinyemi AI. Gender disparities in later-life support among older adults in south-western Nigeria. BMC Geriatr. 2022;22:704. doi:10.1186/s12877-022-03393-w
  19. National Bureau of Statistics. Labour force statistics: Employment by sector report (Q4 2020) [Internet]. Abuja: NBS; 2020 [cited 2025 Aug 13]. Available from: https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng
  20. Rufai M, Ogunniyi A, Salman K, et al. Migration, labor mobility and household poverty in Nigeria: A gender analysis. Economies. 2019;7(4):101. doi:10.3390/economies7040101
  21. Faronbi JO, Ademuyiwa IY, Olaogun AA. Patterns of chronic illness among older patients in Nigeria. Ghana Med J. 2020;54(1):42–7. doi:10.4314/gmj.v54i1.7
  22. Nnadi HC, Ezeh PJ. Psychosocial experiences and healthcare delivery for older adults in Nigeria. SAGE Open. 2023;13:21582440231166646. doi:10.1177/21582440231166646
  23. Akinwale GA, Amodeni OS, Oke OS. A review of the psychosocial effects of widowhood among older women in Nigeria. J Afr Philos Indig Knowl. 2025;1(1):a5. doi:10.69778/3007-7192/2025/1.1/a5
  24. Eboiyehi FA. Migration and care for the aged in rural Nigeria. Afr Res Rev. 2010;4(1). doi:10.4314/afrrev.v4i1.58216
  25. World Health Organization. Mental health of older adults [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2017 [cited 2025 Aug 13]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults
  26. Ojagbemi A, Daley S, Feeney Y, Gureje O. The care of older people with depression in Nigeria: Qualitative exploration of the experience of lay providers in primary care settings. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024;39(9):e6147. doi:10.1002/gps.6147
  27. International Labour Organization. World social protection report 2017–19: Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals [Internet]. Geneva: ILO; 2017 [cited 2025 Aug 13]. Available from: https://www.ilo.org/publications/world-social-protection-report-2017-19-universal-social-protection-achieve
  28. Aboderin I, Beard JR. Older people’s health in sub-Saharan Africa. Lancet. 2015;385(9968):e9–11. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61602-0
  29. World Health Organization. Decade of healthy ageing 2021–2030: Baseline report [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2021 [cited 2025 Aug 13]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240017900
  30. Saka S, Oosthuizen F, Nlooto M. National policies and older people’s healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review. Ann Glob Health. 2019;85(1):91. doi:10.5334/aogh.2401
  31. Moody E, Ganann R, Martin-Misener R, Ploeg J, Macdonald M, Weeks LE, et al. Out-of-pocket expenses related to aging in place for frail older people: A scoping review. JBI Evid Synth. 2022;20(2):537–605. doi:10.11124/JBIES-20-00413
  32. Aboderin I. Intergenerational support and old age in Africa. In: De Santis G, editor. The family, the state and the elderly. New York: Springer; 2017. p. 219–40. doi:10.4324/9780203788356
  33. Lukman AU, Folorunsho S, Taofeeq AO. Social determinants of health and aging in Africa: Structural inequality, vulnerability, and the future of care [Internet]. Lincoln (NE): University of Nebraska; 2025. Available from: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologyfacpub/867
  34. Goodwin E, Kraft K. Mental health and spiritual well-being in humanitarian crises: The role of faith communities providing spiritual and psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Int Humanit Action. 2022;7(1):21. doi:10.1186/s41018-022-00127-w
  35. Koenig HG. Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry. 2012;2012:278730. doi:10.5402/2012/278730
  36. Burns JK, Tomita A. Traditional and religious healers in the pathway to care for people with mental disorders in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2015;50(6):867-77. doi:10.1007/s00127-014-0989-7
  37. Williams SA, Baldeh M, Bah AJ, Dennis F, Robinson DR, Adeniyi YC. Pathways to mental health services across local health systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from a systematic review. PLoS One. 2025;20(6):e0324064. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0324064
  38. Ani JI. Care and support for the elderly in Nigeria: A review. Niger J Sociol Anthropol. 2014. doi:10.36108/NJSA/4102/12(0110)
  39. Levasseur M, Routhier S, Clapperton I, Doré C, Gallagher F. Social participation needs of older adults living in a rural regional county municipality: Toward reducing situations of isolation and vulnerability. BMC Geriatr. 2020;20(1):456. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01849-5
  40. Abdi S, Spann A, Borilovic J, de White L, Hawley M. Understanding the care and support needs of older people: A scoping review and categorisation using the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework (ICF). BMC Geriatr. 2019;19:195. doi:10.1186/s12877-019-1189-9

LICENSE

Creative Commons License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.