HOUSING QUALITY AND ADOLESCENT’S PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING IN IBADAN SOUTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, IBADAN, OYO STATE

Abstract

Housing is viewed as an important determinant of health while substandard existing housing has been identified as a major public health issue globally. Research demonstrates that the housing circumstances in which children are raised have significant impact upon their development outcomes and wellbeing. The link between hosing and psychological wellbeing has not received adequate attention in the literature.  This study therefore investigates relationship between housing quality and adolescents’ psychological wellbeing in Ibadan southeast local government area of Oyo state. Survey research design was adopted for the study while both primary and secondary data were sourced. A multistage sampling technique was used to select five private and five public secondary schools from existing 29 private and 27 public secondary schools in the study area.  Five students with the best academic results, aged between 14 and 17 years, were purposively selected from same class in each of the selected secondary schools amounting to 50 students.  Places of residence of the selected students were identified and a set of pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess the housing quality and psychological wellbeing of the respondents.  Variables considered in assessing these houses were: residential status; and level of ventilation. Observation check-list was used to assess the housing condition and quality based on its physical condition plus quality and quantity of housing facilities, amenities and services available. Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be used at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that most (60% private and 57.3% public) of the respondents were female. 41.3% and 40.0% of respondents from private and public schools resided in rented apartments; 21.3% and 20.0% of respondents from private and public schools, respectively, resided in areas prone to high noise level (more than 35 db); 84.0% of respondents from private schools and  ---% from public schools resided in well ventilated buildings.  54.7% of students from private schools and 49.3% of respondents from public schools always look forward to doing things that they are used to most times. Housing quality was found to be significantly positively correlated with adolescent's psychological wellbeing (r = 0.208). There was positive relationship between housing quality and adolescent's psychological wellbeing.   Awareness should therefore be created among the parents in order to know the importance of housing quality to adolescents’ psychological wellbeing.