The Effects of Social Isolation on the Psychological Wellbeing of the Elderly in Mezam Division of the Northwest Region of Cameroon

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of social isolation on the psychological wellbeing of the elderly in Mezam Division of the Northwest Region of Cameroon. More specifically, the study sought to assess the extent to which reduced mobility and lack of preparedness for retirement affect the psychological wellbeing of the elderly in the Division. The target population of the study consisted of 7026 elderly persons. The study employed a concurrent parallel mixed methods research design. Quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire while a semi structured interview guide was used to collect qualitative data from a sample of 300 participants. Questionnaires were completed by 275 elderly persons while 25 others were interviewed. The purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select the sample of the study. Data was analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 26.0 for Windows. Descriptive statistics such as simple percentages, mean scores and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as the Pearson Product Moment Correlation test was used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti software version 8.0. The findings revealed that reduced mobility, and lack of preparedness for retirement have a significant correlation with psychological wellbeing among elderly persons in Mezam. Based on the findings, it was recommended that applied developmental psychologists and counsellors should develop and enhance their knowledge and competencies on mechanisms to detect and systematically rehabilitate elderly persons suffering from social isolation in order to improve their psychological wellbeing and functioning within communities. Fultang Constantia Niih | Therese Mungah Shalo Tchombe | Lambert Wirdze "The Effects of Social Isolation on the Psychological Wellbeing of the Elderly in Mezam Division of the Northwest Region of Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-7 | Issue-5 , October 2023, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd59888.pdf Paper Url: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/education/59888/the-effects-of-social-isolation-on-the-psychological-wellbeing-of-the-elderly-in-mezam-division-of-the-northwest-region-of-cameroon/fultang-constantia-niih