PEER SUPPORT AND ADOLESCENTS' MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT IN NIGERIA CONTEXT

Adolescence has been characterized as a period that falls into the stage of identity and role confusion. These stages of identity and role confusion to a large extent depends on the degrees of social support from peers and significant others. The more the social support experienced, the better the coping ability of the individual with various environmental demands. Therefore, this paper examined the influence of peer support on adolescents' mental health needs in Nigeria. Two hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study. The sample consisted of two hundred and fifty students randomly selected from senior secondary schools in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Wellbeing Manifestation Measure Scale (WBMMS) developed by Masse, Poulin, Dassa, Lambert, Belair & Battaglin [38] and a self-developed scale tagged “Peer Support Scale (PSS)” were used for data collection. Results showed no significant gender difference in the adolescents’ mental health needs (t-calculated = 1.781; p ˂ .05). Also, peer support was found to significantly influence adolescents’ mental health needs (f-cal = 7.121, p ˂ .05). It was concluded that meeting adolescents’ mental health needs through peer support may help individual build and sustain mutual relationships with family, friends and significant others, which eventually play an important role in the overall happiness, life satisfaction, or subjective well-being of individuals. It is therefore recommended that an enhanced peer support will increase adolescent’s wellness and mental health.