Do Demographic Factors Influence Pre-retirement Anxiety Among Civil Servants Near Retirement in Southwest Nigeria?

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-5117410/v1

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Do Demographic Factors Influence Pre-retirement Anxiety Among Civil Servants Near Retirement in Southwest Nigeria?

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5117410/v1

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The study examined the influence of demographic factors (gender, job cadre and educational qualification) on pre-retirement anxiety among civil servants near retirement in Southwest Nigeria. A sample of 413 respondents aged 45 to 60 (Mean = 53.55 years: SD = 3.18) was selected through a multi-stage sampling technique. The participants responded to a bio-data and Pre-Retirement Anxiety Scale (NPAS). The hypotheses postulated were analysed using t-test for independent measure and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

The result showed that gender has no direct influence on pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation, social obligation and financial preparedness). The study found that junior cadre influence pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation and financial preparedness). The result also revealed that respondents who had OND/NCE certificate impacted pre-retirement anxiety (financial preparedness). The study concluded that employees who are junior staff and who had OND/NCE qualification experience higher pre-retirement anxiety. The study recommended that job cadre and educational qualification of prospective retirees must be given adequate attention in a way to reduce the challenge of pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation and financial preparedness).

Psychology

Pre-retirement anxiety

gender

job cadre

educational qualification

civil servants near retirement.

Retirement is an inevitable experience in the life of every employee in any organisation. Despite this work reality, the awareness that employees are nearing retirement often results in what is known in the literature as pre-retirement anxiety. Gabriel (2020) defined pre-retirement anxiety as the fears and worries regarding the future of an individual caused by an upcoming/impending cessation of active working life. Muhoro (2019) defined pre-retirement anxiety as a workplace challenge characterised by worries about the future of workers caused by the gradual ending to an active working life. Retirement anxiety in the extant literature has three domains/dimensions namely, financial preparedness, social obligation and social alienation anxiety. Financial preparedness anxiety refers to the fear of not having adequate financial status, investment and financial savings to sustain self, prior to retirement. Social alienation is the fear of being neglected and rendered irrelevant in the family or society after retirement. Social obligation refers to the fear that people have regarding not fulfilling their social obligation in terms of helping relatives, friends and society when they need help. Retirement remains one of the most challenging transitions people experience during their work lifetime (Gabriel, 2020). While some workers may react positively and see it as a time for leisure, happiness and freedom from stressful work roles (Fisher et al., 2016), others may react negatively as they associate it with times of crises such as loss of job role and identity, time of loneliness, loss of social ties, having financial insufficiency, declining health, dysfunctional family matters etc (Ogbebor, 2011; Ugwu et al., 2019). These negative thoughts tend to contribute significantly to the decline in the psychological well-being of these workers which could have serious negative consequences on commitment and performance at work. Studies have shown that employees who thoughtfully and practically prepare for their retirement have a more positive attitude toward retirement than employees who do not prepare (Bracken-Scally, 2015; Helman & Paladino, 2004).

Globally, pre-retirement is still a challenge in the Asia continent especially in India and the Philippines. The Global Benefits Attitudes Survey (GBAS) in 2016 reported that 56% of Indian employees believe or perceive they will be worse off in retirement than their parents (GBAS, 2016). As noted by Reyes, et al. (2022), the Philippines is one of the countries experiencing growing anxiety about retirement prospects. In Africa, especially Ghana, Cameroon and Kenya, the issue of pre-retirement anxiety among potential retirees is still relatively high, with little effort from the governments (Vordzorgbe, et al., 2018; Gabriel, 2020). In Nigeria, many workers including state civil servants who are approaching retirement express anxiety about this new phase of life (Njoku & Ugwulebo, 2018; Maisango & Muhammad, 2020; Nkechi & Otuonye, 2022). This could be due to uncertainties in life after retirement. The poor and dishonourable manner in which retirees are treated before they get their gratuity and pension causes pre-retirement anxiety for intending retirees (Chizueze, et al., 2011). The amended Pension Reform Act 2014, which explains the retirement age, benefits and procedures for all workers including civil servants in Nigeria have according to Nweke (2014) and Adebayo (2016) creates apprehension as a result of delay in pension payments, serious corruption and embezzlement in the pension system which have negatively impact civil servant retirement transition and financial security. Also, the current economic reality in Nigeria, in terms of the high cost of living, feeding and social amenities, orchestrated by the removal of fuel subsidies, exchange rate, COVID-19 pandemic and insecurity in the country may also heightened pre-retirement anxiety among employees close to retirement. This may be because the perception that one is close to retirement without preparation tends to produce negative thoughts especially about the reduced financial status to maintain self and the family when retirement eventually occurs. Employees ruminating on this thought may experience pre-retirement anxiety.

Theoretically, this study is anchored on the continuity Theory. The theory was propounded by Atchley (1989) which states that people psychologically remain the same over the period of their life, that is, people retain most of their preferences, behave in similar ways, and live in the same social environment throughout their life. According to the continuity theory, the majority of people will be able to successfully adapt to life transitions, consequent upon the progress they made in their earlier years when they were exposed to a variety of relationships, pursuits, conceptual frameworks, and coping mechanisms that gave their lives continuity during these transitions (Atchley, 1999). Therefore, the change that happens within an individual’s life is a result of continuous life-space. Therefore, these changes may be a result of some demographic factors of workers who are about to retire which may have implications for their experience of pre-retirement anxiety.

The study on pre-retirement anxiety especially among civil servants near retirement becomes important because this set of workers are often anxious when their retirement is close. Scholars such as Appolonius, et al. (2017) and Ugwu et al. (2019) have also affirmed that pre-retirement worries and nervousness often start when an employee has less than 10 years to official retirement. As a result, potential retirees' pre-retirement situations should receive enough study attention, as retirement challenges have precursors; if these precursors are addressed, some future retirement issues can be avoided. In the pre-retirement anxiety literature, scholars have investigated several factors such as social support, religiosity and life satisfaction (Obodo, 2015), depression (Lima, 2016), emotional intelligence and self-efficacy (Arogundade, 2016), fatigue severity and financial self-efficacy (Ujoatuonu, et al., 2018), organizational identity and career transition (Ujoatuonu, et al., 2020), demographic variables (Abuo, et al., 2020), psychological well-being (Reyes, et al., 2021), occupational prestige and basic need satisfaction at work (Ujoatuonu et al., 2022), sociodemographic factors and life satisfaction (Ogunsemi, et al., 2023), proactive personality and social comparison (Ugwu & Idemudia, 2023). Despite the contributions of these aforementioned studies, many studies have been done using psychological variables, neglecting the roles that demographic factors specifically gender, job cadre and educational qualification may play on pre-retirement anxiety. Although studies such as (Ogunsemi, et al., 2023; Abuo, et al., 2020) investigated demographic factors (age, gender, socioeconomic status, educational status, and family size) on retirement anxiety, it was conducted among teachers and university staff respectively. This present study entirely differs, as it investigates demographic factors such as (sex, job cadre and educational qualification) on pre-retirement anxiety dimensions (financial preparedness, social obligation and social alienation) among civil servants near retirement in Southwest, Nigeria. This research gap is hoped to be filled by this study and also further enrich the pre-retirement anxiety local literature. The conceptual model of this study is shown in Fig. 1.

According to Olasupo and Fagbenro (2021) sex is a natural biological attribute that designates a person as either male or female. Gender which has to do with being male or female may influence individual’s choice, opinion and decision-making processes (Oghogbo & Nwankwo, 2022). Retirement is perceived by people differently and the way they react to it also differs. According to Seccombe and Lee (2006), some people believe that women are primarily focused on their families and homes and that retirement is not a challenge for them. Some people hold the opinion that women in their retirement have less difficulties because most of their tasks are assumed to be handled by their spouses. Because of this, majority of female civil servants who are close to retirement might not be terrified of retirement. According to Strudsholm (2011), women are more likely than males to have less trouble adjusting because they have a variety of other responsibilities to fall back on after leaving the workforce. Studies such as Garba et al. (2021) found that male civil servants have higher retirement anxiety than their female counterpart. Ugwu et al. (2021) also found that males were more associated with anxiety relating to financial preparedness and social obligation dimension than their females. Ujoatuonu et al. (2020) found among their result male military personnel as having a high pre-retirement anxiety than their female counterpart. Also, Ugwu (2011) found that men have higher retirement anxiety than their female counterpart. Ogunbameru and Bamiwuye (2004), found that men begin considering retirement earlier than women do. This means that men have greater retirement anxiety than women. Arogundade (2016) revealed that male employees have greater pre-retirement anxiety than their female counterparts. Research evidence have also shown equally that women have more negative attitudes towards retirement than men do, and retirement is more disruptive and more likely to be linked with greater depression and loneliness for women than for men (Kim & Moen, 2002). This, by inference suggests more retirement anxiety for women than men. Ugwu et.al (2019) found that women reported significantly higher levels of social obligation dimension on the scale, than their men.

Research evidence, on the other hand, shows that both males and females have the same level of pre-retirement anxiety. This may be a result of the current economic reality in Nigeria which has now positioned both male and female’ civil servants to serve as the breadwinners of their respective families. Studies have also buttressed this claim, for example, Oghogho and Nwankwo (2022) found that there was no gender difference between male and female retiring civil servants. Abidoye (2022) found that there was no significant relationship between sex and pre-retirement anxiety among the sampled respondents. Ujoatuonu et al. (2018) found that there was no gender relationship with pre-retirement anxiety among nurses in Enugu. Baljit and Hassan (2018) revealed that gender was insignificant to retirement planning including anxiety among Generation Y in Malaysia. Obiora and Iwuoha (2013) in their study found that there was no gender difference in anxiety among workers. Anibueze (2013) revealed that there is no gender difference in preparation for retirement. From the foregoing, it may be deduced that existing literature on gender and retirement is inconsistent. Hence, it is hypothesized that

H1: There is a significant gender difference in pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants near retirement.

Job cadre is also another demographic factor that may influence pre-retirement anxiety. It is often said that when employees are highly ranked in an organisation, they tend to be relevant and make a great contribution to the organisation. The position that an employee approaching retirement occupies may determine the level of experience of pre-retirement anxiety. For instance, an about-to-retire worker who is at the senior cadre might see himself as reaching the peak of their career, hence they might be happy and not perceive any negative emotion prior to their retirement. On the other hand, lower or middle-cadre employees might not be fulfilled in their current job cadre and this thought may cause anxiety before retirement. There is no study directly linking job cadre and pre-retirement anxiety in the literature but only a few studies on job cadre and other variable outcomes. For instance, Hanushek and Rivikin (2006), Wolters and Daugherty (2007) and Adedokun and Adekanmbi, (2021) all found that job cadre influence the quality of instruction.

H2: It was hypothesized that job cadre will significantly influence pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants near retirement.

Educational qualification in this study refers to the highest level of western education that civil servants acquired which may be Primary/Secondary, NCE/OND, BSc/HND, MSc and PhD. The level of education of exiting workers may also influence exiting workers’ pre-retirement anxiety. Wood and Wood (1999) affirmed that people who experience fear of retirement are individuals who are well-educated. Also, Inaja (2008) confirmed that employees with higher educational qualifications/status tend to have better knowledge and willingness to go for counselling regarding retirement issues to prepare very well through savings or investing when needed for impending retirement. It, therefore, can be said that the level of education of employees nearing retirement may affect the experience of pre-retirement anxiety. There is research evidence on educational qualification on pre-retirement anxiety in the extant literature for instance, Abuo et al. (2020) found that educational status significantly influences retirement anxiety. Murari et al. (2021) found that there was a significant influence of education levels on retirement planning behaviour. Kaur and Hassan (2018) also found that education contributed significantly to retirement planning. Ujoatuonu et al. (2020) also found in their study that the higher the educational qualification of military personnel, the higher the level of pre-retirement anxiety. Obodo (2015) found that there was no relationship between educational qualification and pre-retirement anxiety among the sampled respondents. Joo and Pauwels (2002) found that individuals who have higher education levels tend to have better confidence levels in their retirement planning life. Also in the same result direction, DeVaney (1995) concluded that educational level and other demographic variables influence pre-retirement planning. Based on the aforementioned literature, we hypothesised that

H3: There is a significant influence of educational qualification on pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants near retirement.

Participants and Procedure

The study is a cross-sectional survey which was conducted among state civil servants who had less than 10 years to their retirement in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in three States (Osun, Ondo and Ogun) in South-western Nigeria. The choice of using employees who had less than 10 years to their retirement is based on the idea that this could be a period during which the individuals could become more likely to start brooding about the implications of becoming retirees. This postulation was also empirically proven by studies done by Appolonius, et al. (2017), and Ugwu et al. (2019). Out of 444 administered copies of the questionnaire, of these, 413 (Female = 175; Male = 238) were returned, representing a 93% response rate. The respondents’ ages range between 45 and 60 years (Mean = 53.55 years: SD = 3.18). Their marital status showed that (2.7%) were single, the majority (92.3%) were married, (4.6%) were widows/widowers, (.2%) were separated and (.2%) were divorced. By religious affiliation, the majority (79.4%) were Christians, (20.1%) were Muslims while (.5%) practiced traditional faiths. Respondents’ education qualifications showed that (11.4%) had primary/secondary education, (16.5%) had OND/NCE, majority (48.9%) had HND/B.Sc, (20.6%) had an M.Sc while (2.7%) had a Ph.D. education. Furthermore, the participants' job ranks also varied (3.6%) were in the junior cadre, (17.9%) were in the middle cadre and (78.5%) were in the senior cadre. Regarding participants’ state of employment, (28.8%) were selected from Ogun State, the majority (40.0%) were selected from Osun State and (31.2worked in Ondo State. The distribution of participants by socioeconomic status showed that (8.5%) reported themselves in low socioeconomic status, many (81.4%) on moderate socioeconomic status while (10.2%) placed themselves on high socioeconomic status. Lastly, the participants also indicated that they had between 1 and 10 years (Mean = 5.51 years; SD = 2.91) left to retire.

Ethical approval

for the study was granted by the Research Reviews and Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife. Permission to carry out the study was also obtained from the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the three States. Participants who consented to participate in the study signed the informed consent form attached to the questionnaire. Also, confidentiality, anonymity and withdrawal from the study were assured to the respondents. The study was performed in line with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Multi-stage was the sampling technique adopted in the study, in which random sampling technique of the balloting type was used to select three Osun, Ogun and Ondo while convenience sampling technique was used to select the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) based on their availability, accessibility, and proximity to the researcher in each state secretariat. Finally, purposive sampling technique was used to select the respondents. The data collection spanned from December 2021 to February 2022.

Measures

Personal Information Data

The personal information (demographic and background characteristics) consisted of nine items which included age which was measured in continuous form. Gender was measured in two levels male and female. Marital status was captured in five levels namely single, married, widow/widower, separated and divorced. Religious affiliation also had three levels: Christianity, Islam and traditional. Educational qualification was measured in five levels namely primary/secondary, OND/NCE, HND/B.Sc, M.Sc and PhD. Job cadre was captured into Junior, middle and senior. The state of work was categorised into Ogun, Ondo and Osun States. Finally, socioeconomic status was also categorised into low, moderate and high while years left in service was measured in a continuous form.

Nigerian Pre-retirement Anxiety Scale (NPAS)

Pre-retirement anxiety was measured using the 15-item Nigerian Pre-retirement Anxiety Scale (NPAS) developed by Ugwu et al. (2019). The scale was developed to assess the pre-retirement anxiety of potential retirees, especially in Nigeria. Items 8R, 9R, 10R, 11R, and 14R had reversed score. The R means that some of the items on the scale were negatively worded; hence, they were reversely scored. The scoring of the scale was on a 5-point Likert format, ranging from 5 = Strongly Disagree to 1 = Strongly Agree. Sample of the items on the scale reads ''Part of what worries me is that I may not be able to assist my relations before retirement'' and ''I am not afraid of retirement when I consider my accruing pension and other investment''. High scores on the scale indicate high pre-retirement anxiety, while low scores on the scale imply low retirement anxiety.

The scale has three dimensions namely social obligations (which was measured with 6 items), financial preparedness (which was captured with 5 items) while social alienation (which was captured with 4 items). The authors of the scale reported that the scale had good validity and reliability. For instance, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on the 15 items as reported by the authors loaded significantly on their constructs (p < .001), with weights ranging from .50 to .80. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) of .75 with a Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity significant (χ2 = 1144.38; df = 105; p < .001) was also reported for the sampling adequacy of the scale. The author reported a Cronbach’s alpha reliability of .72, .71, and .75 for the sub-scales of financial preparedness, social obligation, and social alienation, respectively, and .73 for the composite scale. The authors also establish construct validity (divergent type) between the life satisfaction scale (SWLS) and convergent validity between Nigeria Pre-retirement Anxiety Scale (NPAS) and the anxiety about retirement scale (RAS) (Ugwu et.al., 2019). They found a significant negative relationship between life satisfaction and NPAS (-.34); and a positive relationship between RAS and NPAS (.53). The scale has also been used by Ujoatuonu et al. (2020) where they reported a Cronbach’s alpha (α) of .73 and a Kaiser-Meyer- Olkin measure of sampling adequacy of .48, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity of 202.88 (p < .001) among nurses in Enugu State. The present study reported a Cronbach's alpha of .69 for financial preparedness, .78 for social obligation, and .59 for the social alienation sub-scales.

Data analysis

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data collected from the respondents. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, and standard deviation were used to describe the participants’ socio-demographic factors while inferential statistics were used to test the hypotheses in the study. At first preliminary analysis which involves checking for missing values, outliers, tests of normality, linearity. homoscedasticity and multicollinearity were performed as a precondition before employing parametric and multivariate testing. The tests scan all showed that the data were normally distributed in the study. Furthermore, hypothesis one was tested using the t-test for independent measure while hypotheses two and three were tested using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). All analyses were carried out with the IBM-SPSS statistics for Windows, version 23 all at 0.05 levels of significance.

Hypothesis 1

There is a significant influence of gender on pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants near retirement. The analysis was tested with a t-test for independent measure and the results presented are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Summary table of independent t-test of gender difference in pre-retirement anxiety dimensions
	Gender	N	Mean	SD	df	t	p
Social obligation	Male	238	14.76	3.77	411	0.95	> .05
Social obligation	Female	175	14.39	4.06
Social alienation	Male	238	9.06	2.99	411	1.50	> .05
Social alienation	Female	175	8.63	2.79
Financial preparedness	Male	238	11.03	3.95	411	1.57	> .05
Financial preparedness	Female	175	10.42	3.76

It was observed from the table that male about-to-retire workers (M = 14.76, SD = 3.77) were not significantly different in social obligation compared to female about-to-retire workers (M = 14.39, SD = 4.06), t(411) = 0.95, p > .05. The result also revealed that male civil servants near retirement (M = 9.06, SD = 2.99) were not significantly different in social alienation compared to female civil servants near retirement (M = 8.63, SD = 2.79), t(411) = 1.50, p > .05. Also, male civil servants near retirement (M = 11.03, SD = 3.95) were not significantly different in financial preparedness compared to female civil servants near retirement (M = 10.42, SD = 3.76), t(411) = 1.57, p > .05. The result showed that gender has no direct influence on pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation, social obligation and financial preparedness). Therefore, the hypothesis was not confirmed in the study.

Hypothesis 2

Job cadre will significantly influence pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants near retirement. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted and the analysis presented in Table 2

Table 2

Summary of one-way ANOVA showing the influence of job cadre on dimensions of pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness)
		Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	p
Social obligation	Between Groups	9.593	2	4.797	.31	> .05
	Within Groups	6261.038	410	15.271
	Total	6270.632	412
Social alienation	Between Groups	86.314	2	43.157	5.17	< .05
	Within Groups	3420.591	410	8.343
	Total	3506.906	412
Financial preparedness	Between Groups	177.553	2	88.776	6.03	< .05
	Within Groups	6035.360	410	14.720
	Total	6212.912	412

The result is presented in Table 2. The result revealed that there was a statistically significant main influence of job cadre on social obligation (F_2,410 = .31, p > .05). The result also revealed that there was significant influence of job cadre on social alienation (F_2,410 = 5.17, p < .05). Also, there was significant influence of job cadre on financial preparedness (F_2,410 = 6.03, p < .05). The findings suggested that there were significant differences in the mean scores of job cadre groups in social alienation and financial preparedness dimension. Consequently, Tukey’s-Kramer HSD (Honest Significant Difference) for unequal group post hoc test was conducted in order to know the particular job cadre mean differences in social alienation and financial preparedness dimension. The analysis is presented in Table 3a and b:

Table 3

a Tukey’s-Kramer HSD for unequal Groups showing multiple comparison of job cadre on social alienation
Job Cadre	N	Mean	SD	1	2	3
1. Junior	15	10.60	3.39	1
2. Middle	74	9.48	2.94	1.11	1
3. Senior	324	8.66	2.85	-1.93^*	.81	1

The results of the Tukey’s-Kramer HSD for unequal Groups post hoc test indicated that employees who are in the junior cadre (M = 10.60, S.D = 3.39) reported higher scores on social alienation, compared to those in the middle cadre (M = 9.48, S.D = 2.94) and senior cadre (M = 8.66, S.D = 2.85). Furthermore, the results revealed a significant difference in the social alienation of those who are in the junior cadre and senior cadre (Tukey = -1.93; p < .05). This was also graphically presented in Fig. 2

The graphical presentation in Fig. 2 shows that workers who are in the junior cadre experience the highest social alienation as seen from social alienation mean scores while workers who are in the senior cadre experience lesser social alienation.

Table 3

b Tukey’s-Kramer HSD for unequal Groups showing multiple comparisons of job cadre on financial preparedness
Job Cadre	N	Mean	SD	1	2	3
1. Junior	15	12.28	4.68	1
2. Middle	74	11.97	3.65	1.11	1
3. Senior	324	10.43	3.83	.30	1.53^*	1

The results of the Tukey’s-Kramer HSD for unequal Groups post hoc test indicated that employees who are in the junior cadre (M = 12.28, S.D = 4.68) reported higher scores on financial preparedness anxiety, compared to those in the middle cadre (M = 11.97, S.D = 3.65) and senior cadre (M = 10.43, S.D = 3.83). Furthermore, the results revealed a significant difference in the anxiety relating to financial preparedness of those in the middle cadre and senior cadre (Tukey = 1.53; p < .05). This was also graphically presented in Fig. 3

Figure 3 shows that workers who are in the junior cadre experience the highest anxiety on financial preparedness as seen from the financial preparedness mean scores while workers who are in the senior cadre experience less anxiety on financial preparedness.

Hypothesis 3

Level of education will significantly influence pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants near retirement. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted and the analysis presented in Table 4

Table 4

Summary of one-way ANOVA showing the influence of level of education on dimensions of pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation, social obligation and financial preparedness)
		Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	p
Social alienation	Between Groups	55.347	4	13.837	1.63	> .05
	Within Groups	3451.559	408	8.460
	Total	3506.906	412
Social obligation	Between Groups	132.606	4	33.151	2.20	> .05
	Within Groups	6138.026	408	15.044
	Total	6270.632	412
Financial preparedness	Between Groups	317.627	4	79.407	5.49	< .05
	Within Groups	5895.285	408	14.449
	Total	6212.912	412

The result above revealed that there was no statistically significant main influence of level of education on social obligation (F_4,408 = 1.63, p > .05). The result also revealed that there was no significant influence of level of education on social obligation (F_4,410 = 2.20, p > .05). Also, there was significant influence of level of education on financial preparedness anxiety (F_{4, 408} = 5.49, p < .05). The findings suggested that there were significant differences in the mean scores of levels of education in financial preparedness anxiety. Consequently, Tukey’s-Kramer HSD (Honest Significant Difference) for unequal group post hoc test was conducted in order to know the particular level of education mean differences in financial preparedness dimension. The analysis is presented in Table 5a:

Table 5

a Tukey’s-Kramer HSD for unequal Groups showing multiple comparison of educational qualification on financial preparedness
Educational attainment	N	Mean	SD	1	2	3	4	5
1.Primary/Secondary	47	11.59	4.18	1
2.OND/NCE	68	12.12	3.79	− .53	1
3.HND/B.Sc	202	10.76	3.80	.82	1.36	1
4.M.Sc.	85	9.51	3.63	2.07*	2.60*	1.24	1
5.Ph.D.	11	9.18	3.15	2.40	2.93	1.57	.33	1
Note: *. The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level.

The results of the post hoc Tukey’s-Kramer HSD test indicated that employees who attained OND/NCE (M = 12.12, S.D = 3.79) reported higher scores on financial preparedness anxiety, compared to those who attained HND/B.Sc (M = 10.76, S.D = 3.80), Primary/Secondary (M = 11.59, S.D = 4.18) M.Sc (M = 9.51, S.D = 3.63) and Ph.D. (M = 9.18, S.D = 3.15). Furthermore, the results revealed a significant difference in the financial preparedness anxiety of those who attained Primary/Secondary and M.Sc (Tukey = 2.07; p < .05). Also, those who attained OND/NCE and MSc (Tukey = 2.60; p < .05). Meanwhile, there is no significant difference between workers who attained M.sc and Ph.D. (Tukey = 1.57; p˃.05). The stated hypothesis is therefore accepted. This was also graphically presented in Fig. 4.

The graphical presentation in Fig. 4 shows that workers who have OND/NCE have the highest financial preparedness as seen from the financial preparedness anxiety mean scores while workers who have PhD experience lesser the financial preparedness anxiety.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the role of demographic factors on pre-retirement anxiety. The first hypothesis of the study predicted a significant influence of gender on pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness). The result found that gender did not influence pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness). The hypothesis was therefore rejected. The results of this study support Oghogho and Nwankwo (2022) who found that there was no gender difference between male and female retiring civil servants. The study findings also supported Abidoye (2022) who found that there was no significant relationship between sex and pre-retirement anxiety. Also, in the same result direction, Ujoatuonu et al. (2018) found that there was no gender relationship with pre-retirement anxiety among nurses in Enugu. The study was also in accordance with Baljit and Hassan (2018) who revealed that gender was insignificant to retirement planning including anxiety among Generation Y in Malaysia. The reason why this result was so maybe unconnected to the current economic reality in Nigeria where both male and female. The plausible reason for this finding might be due to the current economic reality in Nigeria where female and male workers nearing retirement are now faced with similar social obligation anxiety (in terms of fear of unable to help family, relatives and society, social alienation (the fear that they might be neglected by their family members, friends etc after retirement) and financial preparedness anxiety (the fear of not having enough financial status prior to retirement).

Second, it was hypothesised that job cadre will significantly influence pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants near retirement. The current study result revealed that the junior cadre experienced higher social alienation and financial preparedness anxiety than middle and senior. The hypothesis was confirmed. This finding was not in (agreement) with studies such as Hanushek and Rivikin (2006), Wolters and Daugherty (2007) and Adedokun and Adekanmbi, (2021) who found that job cadre influence the quality of instruction. The reason for this finding may be that junior cadre workers may feel that they may be neglected or feel irrelevant in the family or society because of their low status at work prior to retirement. Also, workers in the junior cadre because of their status may feel they don't have the financial capability or saving prior to retirement.

Thirdly, it was hypothesised that the level of education will significantly influence pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) among civil servants nearing retirement. The study result revealed that workers who possess OND/NCE certificates have higher financial preparedness anxiety than the other two dimensions of pre-retirement anxiety (social obligation and social alienation). The hypothesis was confirmed. The study finding was in accordance with Abuo et al. (2020) who found that educational status significantly influenced retirement anxiety. The study finding was also in accordance with Murari et al. (2021) who found that there was a significant influence of education levels on retirement planning behaviour. The study findings were also similar to Kaur and Hassan (2018) who found that education contributed significantly to retirement planning. Also, in accordance with the study findings, Ujoatuonu et al. (2020) also found in their study that the higher the educational qualification of military personnel, the higher the level of pre-retirement anxiety. Also, Obodo (2015) found that there was no relationship between educational qualification and pre-retirement anxiety among the sampled respondents. The plausible reason for this finding may be that workers near retirement with OND/NCE qualifications may not have the requisite skills and proper planning to save or invest for the future prior to their retirement. Their inability to save for the future from the little salary they receive could trigger fear about retirement. On the other hand, workers who are nearing retirement with a higher educational qualification such as a PhD may be more exposed and oriented to proper and better retirement preparation awareness. Hence, highly educated workers may fear less regarding retirement. Also, another reason could be that educated workers may see retirement as a time for another adventure where they can showcase their talent. This can be seen among some highly educated government workers who get job opportunities from private and non-governmental organisations even after retirement while low-educated workers become less valuable and redundant during the retirement phase.

Implications of the Study

This study has some practical and theoretical implications based on the findings of the study, Firstly, the finding that retirement anxiety (social obligation, social alienation and financial preparedness) did not differ among male and female civil servants highlights the need for policymakers to continue to tailor pre-retirement policies and programmes for the two genders (male and female) in the workplace. Secondly, the outcome that junior cadre experience higher pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation and financial preparedness) than senior and middle cadre underscores the need for the state government to support this category of workers by providing them with training that can enhance their skills to find meaning in life and build a lasting relationship with friends and family., Employers can encourage providing soft loans for this category of workers which will help them start a business while still in service, thus boosting their financial status and saving and in the long run improving their commitment to work. Thirdly, the result that workers who have NCE/OND certificates experience high pre-retirement anxiety (financial preparedness) highlights the need for this set of workers to upgrade their educational qualifications while still in service. For example, employers can give support such as study leave, grants, flexi-time etc to workers with less than 10 years in service who have low educational qualifications to academically upgrade themselves. The educational upliftment will make these set of workers acquire the requisite skills, knowledge and exposure to financially plan and position themselves for their retirement. Also, workers with longer years in service who have low educational qualifications can benefit from this gesture as it will also position them to financially prepare very well prior to their retirement.

Theoretically, the study adds to the literature on pre-retirement anxiety by showing the importance of the continuity theory in explaining the influence of demographic factors (gender, job cadre and level of education) and pre-retirement anxiety dimensions. Empirically, the present study has filled a gap in the body of knowledge by being the first study to have explored demographic factors of gender, job cadre and level of education on pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation, social obligation and financial preparedness) among civil servants nearing retirement in three Southwest States. Thus, this study will serve as a springboard for future researchers to explore other variables that may directly or indirectly influence pre-retirement anxiety. Finally, this study advocates a paradigm shift in the intervention that will not only inculcate psychological intervention but also demographic-inclined intervention.

The research revealed the role of gender, job cadre and educational qualification on pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation, social obligation and financial preparedness). The study concluded that gender did not impact pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation, social obligation and financial preparedness). The study also concluded that junior cadres who are nearing retirement experience higher pre-retirement anxiety (social alienation and financial preparedness). The study also concluded that educational qualification influenced pre-retirement anxiety, this means that workers who possess OND/NCE experience higher pre-retirement anxiety (financial preparedness). The study concluded that the dimensions of pre-retirement anxiety is relevant in this study because it shows that retirement challenges are combinations of financial inadequacies and also fear of being alienated by friends or family in society.

Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research

The study has some limitations. Firstly, the over-dependent on self-report measures could have affected the findings. This is because the sensitive nature of the problem under investigation may have prompted some respondents to give socially desirable responses or bias in their ratings, especially on the pre-retirement anxiety items without actually reflecting their real self and their current situation. This notion was also evident from personal discussions with some respondents who were sceptical about their responses. Secondly, as with all cross-sectional survey designs, the study could only investigate current happenings at the time of this research. Hence, establishing causal relationships among the study variables was impossible. Thirdly, the researcher considered only one geographical region in Nigeria, hence generalisation of the result finding may be drawn with caution. Based on the aforementioned limitations, it is suggested that future studies should take into consideration the use of either qualitative approach such as interview, ethnography, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and case study. This will allow researchers to have in-depth first-hand information from potential retirees and some critical stakeholders on factors responsible for pre-retirement anxiety. Future studies should investigate pre-retirement anxiety from other regions of the country by drawing participants and data from federal, private and state workers for possible comparison. Finally, future studies should employ a longitudinal design in a bid to understand the comprehensive nature of pre-retirement anxiety and its antecedents.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Do Demographic Factors Influence Pre-retirement Anxiety Among Civil Servants Near Retirement in Southwest Nigeria?

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