Examination of the Associations of Happiness, Self-Efficacy, Peer Relationships and Need for Social Approval Among Adolescents

Abstract

Adolescent is an important period on the way to become an individual. Studies that will help adolescents complete this period in a healthy way have gained importance in recent years. In this study, it was aimed to determine the relationships between the psychosocial indicators of happiness in adolescents attending high school. Self-efficacy, peer relations, and the need for social approval were considered as psychosocial indicators. The study group of the research consists of 637 high school students. The ages of the students in the research group ranged from 13 to 19 (M=15.56; SD= 1.19). In the study, Adolescent Happiness Scale, Children Self-Efficacy Scale, Peer Relationship Scale, Need for Social Approval Scale and Personal Information Form were used as data collection tools. The research was conducted based on the correlational design in line with the quantitative research paradigm. The results of the analysis show that there are significant relationships between adolescent happiness and self-efficacy, need for peer relationships and social approval, and between self-efficacy and need for peer and social approval. According to the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results, it was determined that peer relations and the need for social approval had a partial mediating role in the relationship between adolescent happiness and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, peer relationships, and the need for social approval explain 54% of the total variance of adolescent happiness. In the study, it was concluded that self-efficacy, peer relations, and the need for social approval, which were considered as psychosocial indicators, were significant predictors of adolescent happiness. The findings were discussed in line with the literature and suggestions were presented.