PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

The future of any nation relies on its ability to cultivate strong and capable leaders. Such leadership is shaped within classrooms that promote emotional balance, happiness, and overall wellbeing. A key element in creating these nurturing environments is the psychological wellbeing of students. Recognizing this, the present study seeks to explore the psychological wellbeing of general school students in Kerala. The investigation focused on a sample of 160 high school students drawn from three districts—Palakkad, Malappuram, and Thrissur—using a stratied sampling method. To assess psychological wellbeing, the researchers employed Carol Diane Ryff's Psychological Wellbeing Scale. which measures various dimensions such as autonomy, self-acceptance, personal growth, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and positive relations with others. The ndings of the study highlight a signicant difference in psychological wellbeing based on the students' locale. Specically, students from urban areas demonstrated higher levels of psychological wellbeing compared to their rural counterparts. This suggests that environmental and societal factors associated with urban living may contribute positively to students' emotional and psychological health. On the other hand, no statistically signicant difference was found in psychological wellbeing between students attending government schools and those in aided schools. This implies that the type of school management does not have a measurable impact on students' psychological wellbeing in the context studied. The study underscores the importance of integrating psychological wellbeing initiatives into the school environment to foster emotionally resilient and well-adjusted future citizens.