EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Background: Studies have shown that interpersonal relationships play a paramount role in the lives of adolescents and are thought to have an influence on many aspects of adolescent development. Interpersonal relationships is a fundamental human need, and the qualities of interpersonal relationships impact one’s mental health negatively or positively. Interpersonal relationships that are very important during the period of adolescence include; best/close friendships, romantic relationships, and parental/family relationships. Positive qualities of interpersonal relationships such as support and intimacy have been associated with high academic performance, high self-esteem and fewer interpersonal problems. However negative qualities such as dominance and exclusion have been associated with an increase in depressive symptoms, social anxiety, delinquent behaviours, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, withdrawal and poor academic performance. This study evaluated qualities in interpersonal relationships and their association with emotional problems (depression, anxiety and low self-esteem) among in-school adolescents. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study in which five schools were randomly selected from the twenty-nine schools in Ibadan North West local government. A total of 500 adolescents between ages 10-19 years were purposively selected from the five schools based on the number of students in each school. A socio-demographic questionnaire was used to elicit personal, family and school-related information from the students. The Network of Relationship- Relationship Quality Version questionnaire (NRI-RQV) was used to assess positive and negative qualities in each of the four relationships examined (best friend, mother, father and romantic relationships). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) was used to assess for depression and anxiety symptoms and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES) was used to assess the self-esteem levels of the adolescents. Results: A total of 500 respondents’ participated, 68.2% were females and 32.8% were males. The age ranged between 11-19 years with a mean age of 14.63±1.73 years. The reported prevalence of emotional problems among the respondents was: 20% of the adolescents had depression, 55.2% had anxiety and 27.4% had low self-esteem. Results showed girls reported significantly higher levels of intimacy, support and satisfaction with their best friend. Adolescents in private schools reported significantly higher levels of intimacy, pressure and satisfaction in their best friend relationships, they also reported significantly higher levels of companionship, satisfaction and approval with their mothers. Predictors of emotional problems in interpersonal relationships were satisfaction in best friend and romantic relationships, with high levels of satisfaction predicting low levels of depression and anxiety problems. Exclusion in the mother-adolescent relationships was also a significant predictor of depression, with exclusion predicting higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents. Conclusion: This study revealed that both positive and negative qualities of interpersonal relationships were significantly associated with emotional problems. Therefore, this should be a baseline for planning interventions to help parents, peers and teachers in fostering positive interpersonal relationships among adolescents and promoting positive mental health