Problem-Solving Abilities and their Influence on Adolescent Psychological Well-Being

This paper analyses problem-solving abilities (PSA) with the aim of defining their impact on the psychological wellbeing (PWB). The selected sample size is 200 secondary school students in the study, the method used is based on a quantitative research design that uses standardized questionnaires to determine the PSA and PWB between the gender groups. The use of statistical tests, including descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson correlation, chi-square tests and multiple regression demonstrate that high levels of problem-solving ability have significant relationships with high levels of psychological well-being. The difference between males and females in PSA had a medium effect size, but the difference between males and females in PWB was small. Exploratory correlation analysis has indicated very high positive correlation between PSA and PWB (r = 0.62) and regression analysis indicated that PSA is a strong predictor of adolescent well-being (B = 0.58, p = 0.001). The chi-square results demonstrated that PSA levels were significantly correlated to PWB categories (=29.81, p=0.001), demonstrating the practical significance of cognitive skills toward mental health outcomes. Their findings emphasize the importance of implementing problem-solving training as part of an adolescent education and counseling curriculum to enhance resiliency, flexibility, and psychological growth.