Quantitative Study of Family Emotional Climate as a Correlate to Psychological Well-being of Secondary School Students in Delta Central Senatorial District, Nigeria

Abstract

Adolescents' psychological well-being may be associated with the emotional conditions of their family environments. This study examined the relationship between family emotional climate and psychological well-being among Senior Secondary Two students in public secondary schools in Delta Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. A correlational research design was employed, guided by one research question and one null hypothesis. The study population comprised 17,915 students, and the reported sample included 375 students selected through random and stratified sampling procedures. Data were obtained using a questionnaire incorporating a Family Emotional Climate Rating Scale and a Psychological Well-Being Rating Scale, comprising 20 and nine retained items, respectively. Validity was evaluated through expert review and factor-analytic procedures, while Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.71 and 0.72 for the respective scales. Pearson's product–moment correlation was used to examine the association, and linear regression tested the hypothesis at the 0.05 significance level. The findings showed a weak positive relationship between family emotional climate and psychological well-being (r = 0.17). Regression analysis indicated a statistically significant association (F(1, 373) = 10.441; p = 0.001), with R² = 0.027. Thus, family emotional climate was associated with a small proportion of the observed variation in psychological well-being. These findings suggest that family relationships and emotional support merit consideration in school counselling and parent-engagement initiatives. However, the correlational design does not permit causal interpretation.