Social Support and Mental Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between social support and mental well-being of secondary school students in the Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Three research questions and three corresponding null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population comprised 6,303 senior secondary school II students in public secondary schools in the study area. A sample of 567 students was selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data was collected using a researcher-developed instrument titled “Social Support and Mental Well-Being Questionnaire”. The instrument was validated by experts, and a reliability coefficient of 0.77 was obtained using the Cronbach Alpha's method. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The findings revealed that informational support (r = 0.71, p < 0.05) and emotional support (r = 0.78, p < 0.05) had strong positive and significant relationships with students’ mental well-being, while appraisal support (r = 0.54, p < 0.05) had a moderate positive and significant relationship with mental well-being. Based on the findings, it was concluded that social support plays a significant role in enhancing students’ mental well-being. It was recommended among others, that schools, counselors, and parents should provide adequate informational, appraisal, and emotional support to students to promote their mental health and overall well-being.