Ego-Intergrity and Attitude to Death and Dying among Civil Service Retirees in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study sought to determine whether ego-integrity or sense of fulfilment influenced the attitude to death and dying of civil service retirees in Cross River State (CRS), Nigeria.An instrument consisting of four sub-scales, namely, Background Data Scale (BADs), Ego-integrity Scale (EIS), Attitude to Death Scale (ATDS) and Attitude to Dying Scale (ATDS) was adopted.Ex-post facto design was employed, using a sample of 430 and the data was analysed in line with two hypotheses, using ANOVA for both.The indication from the result was that attitude of retirees to both death and dying tended to be more negative than the positive attitude of acceptance.It was recommended that retirees and other older adults view death as a passage to another existence, hence, the need to be positive about it, and hold one's self in readiness for this particular rite of passage instead of being fearful or in denial.