Students' Subjective Well-Being in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana: The Influence of Sex, Parenting Style, and Self-Esteem

This study sought to determine senior high school students’ level of self-esteem (SE) and subjective well-being (SWB), establish the influence of their sex and parents’ parenting style on their SWB, and determine the effect of their SE on their SWB. The cross-sectional survey research design was used. The study was guided by Life circumstances theory (LCT). Final year senior high school students formed the population. Data was collected from 347 senior high school students drawn from a population of 7,665 in Cape Coast with a questionnaire. The spread of the students and their dispositions led to the use of the proportionate simple random sampling technique to select 347 students from the 10 senior high schools in the metropolis. The instrument used to collect data for this study was a questionnaire. Descriptive (means and standard deviation) and inferential statistics like Independent samples t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and PLS-SEM were utilised to analyse the responses. Results indicated students’ SE and SWB levels were high. Further, there was no statistically significant difference in students’ SWB with regard to their sex. There were statistically significant differences in students’ SWB levels with regard to their parents’ parenting styles. Results of the study further indicated that senior high school students’ SE significantly and positively predicts their SWB. It is concluded that even though SE is not the sole determinant of SWB, senior high school students will enjoy their learning, feel part of and connected to their school, have a high purpose of learning, and feel highly efficacious academically (SWB). It was recommended that senior high school authorities in Ghana put in place policies and strategies that will sustain the high levels of SE and SWB. This is very important for the realisation of SDG goals 3 and 4, which are critical for the total development, and well-being of students.