Peer Attachment and Well-Being of Residential Secondary Schools Students in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationship between peer attachment and subjective well-being of students and to assess the relationship between demographic variables (sex and school type) and subjective well-being of boarding secondary school students in Nigeria. Method: Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The sample of 1512 boarding secondary school students in southwest Nigeria participated in the study. The questionnaire on Peer Attachment and Subjective Well-Being of Boarding School Students (QPASWBSS) was employed to elicit data for the study. The data were analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Chi-square Test. Results: The results of the study showed that there was a significant relationship between peer attachment and students’ subjective well-being (r = 0.101; p < 0.05). There was also a significant relationship between demographic variables of sex (χ 2, 1512= 11.665, p <0.05) and school type (χ2 = 27.797, p=0.000) and students’ subjective well-being. Originality/Value – This study is novel in terms of its population, isolating the boarding school environment, and uncovering how peer dynamics substitute for familial support to sustain subjective well-being.