A Mediation Model of Social-Adjustment among School Adolescents in Nigeria: Predictive Weights of Parental Expectations, Self-Esteem, and Identity Crisis

Abstract

Adolescent social adjustment is influenced by various psychosocial factors, including self-esteem, parental expectations, and identity crisis. Given the scarcity of empirical research examining the relationships between these variables, this study aimed to explore how self-esteem and identity crisis influence social adjustment, both directly and indirectly, through parental expectations. Using a correlational research design, data was collected from a random sample of 374 Senior Secondary II (SSII) students in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Nigeria. Self-report questionnaires were administered to measure self-esteem, identity crisis, parental expectations, and social adjustment. The data were analyzed using the General Linear Model (GLM) mediation analysis in JAMOVI software to assess the direct and indirect effects of self-esteem and identity crisis on social adjustment, mediated by parental expectations. The findings revealed significant positive correlations between social adjustment, parental expectations (r = .819, p < .01), and self-esteem (r = .856, p < .01), while identity crisis was negatively correlated with social adjustment (r = -.705, p < .01). Mediation analysis showed that self-esteem had a significant indirect effect on social adjustment through parental expectations.