FAMILY SUPPORT AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH AMONG NIGERIAN UNDERGRADUATE ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmentally sensitive period in which emotional foundations are consolidated under the combined pressures of identity formation, academic demand, and, for many Nigerian undergraduates, growing distance from parental oversight. This study examined the relationship between family support and the emotional health of undergraduate adolescents in three universities within Oyo Metropolitan, Nigeria. Specifically, it assessed the level of perceived emotional, financial, and social support, evaluated respondents' emotional health, and tested the relationship and combined predictive power of the three support dimensions. A descriptive survey design was adopted, and 280 undergraduates were selected through multistage sampling across Atiba University, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, and Ajayi Crowther University. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and multiple regression at the 0.05 significance level. Results showed that most respondents perceived moderate family support and moderate emotional health, and that all three-support dimensions correlated significantly and positively with emotional health, jointly explaining 42.1% of its variance, with emotional support the strongest predictor. The study concludes that family support remains central to adolescent emotional health and recommends family-inclusive counselling and periodic emotional health screening in Nigerian universities.

Keywords: adolescents, emotional health, family support, psychological well-being, Nigeria

Ethics and Conflict of Interest

The authors adhered to ethical standards throughout all stages of the research. Ethical approval was sought and obtained before data collection began. The study's purpose and respondents' right to withdraw consent at any time, without penalty, were clearly stated. Signed informed consent was obtained, with no personally identifying information collected. Completed questionnaires were securely stored and used strictly for the purposes of this research. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial or personal interests that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

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