Parenting styles, psychological well-Being, and academic performance among Adolescents in secondary schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out the relationship between parenting styles, psychological well-being and academic performance among adolescent students in secondary schools. The objectives of the study were to find out whether parenting styles and psychological well-being are related, to find out whether psychological well-being and academic performance are related, and to establish whether parenting styles and academic performance are related. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design correlational in nature and was conducted among students of Mengo Senior School Kampala. The target population under study was 767 students in senior three. Using the simple random sampling technique, a sample size of 254 students was selected for the study and 3 standardized questionnaires whose reliability coefficients were above 0.6 were administered to them. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and the findings were presented using the frequency percentage tables for demographic data and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study showed that there is a significant relationship between parenting styles and psychological well-being, since (r =.236**, p = .001). The findings also showed that there is a significant relationship between psychological well-being and academic performance, since (r =.247**, p = .001), and significant relationship between parenting styles and academic performance, since (r =.227**, p = .002). The study recommended that the government should introduce policies to create awareness to parents and the community on how parenting styles affect the psychological well-being and academic performance of their adolescent students. Furthermore, the government, the community and parents should work together diligently to promote the right environment to ensure high psychological well-being for adolescents in order for them to excel academically.