Abstract
Parent-adolescent relationship has been viewed as a crucial factor in the outcome of stress among adolescents. In addition to the stressors in home environment, school-going adolescents spend most of their waking hours within the school environment which also potentially contribute to stress. Empirical investigation has been very scanty with regards to the relationships among stress, parental and peer attachments among school-going adolescents in Nigeria. This study was a cross-sectional survey which drew participants, using a stratified random sampling technique, from three senatorial zones of Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria. Data were collected using a standardized, reliable and valid measures of the study variables among the 372 school-going adolescents. Results showed that parental attachment (r = -.107, p<.05) and peer attachment (r = -.190; p<.01) were significantly associated with stress. Results also indicated that parental attachment and peer attachment, significantly predicted stress. Peer attachment was found to be the strongest predictor of stress (?= -.24, p< .01). Practically, the study offered parents/guardians, home managers and educational institutions useful suggestions on reducing and mitigating the effects of stress. Stress reduction through healthy parental and peer attachment can be enhanced by organizing school-based psycho-educational with focus on parental and peer attachment.
Highlights
Adolescence is a period when individuals strive to become independent from their parents
Since school-going adolescents spend most of their waking hours within the school environment or engaged in school-related activities, the potentials for stress are perhaps considerably higher because, in addition to the stressors in home environment, they have to grapple with school environment stressors such as academic difficulties, tests and examinations, possible bullying, and lack of adequate support from teachers and other students
Studies on the relationships between parental attachment and stress are still insufficient in many countries and cultures (Al-Abhudi, 2019; Ellis et al, 2019; Rabbanit al., 2014) including Nigeria, and the factors that contribute to stress management such as peer attachment and parental attachment (Burke & Arslan, 2020; Waters, 2019; Waters et al, 2015; Rabbani, 2014) were lack attention in Nigeria
Summary
Adolescence is a period when individuals strive to become independent from their parents. The period of adolescence has been tagged “a period of stress and storm” (Hurlock, 1981), as the adolescent undergoes a myriad of physical and psychological vicissitudes during this period (Abolarin, 2010). The adolescence period is a transitional period of physical and psychological development, which is associated with the teenage years and characterized by conflicts and stress (Obiunu, 2015). While going through this evolution period, adolescents are mostly engulfed by psychosocial problems such as difficulties associated with peer attachment, stress, and parental attachment. It is reported that about 10% to 25% of adolescents experience psychosocial problems or mental distress during adolescence (Ahmad et al, 2007; Gilbert, 2006)
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