Examination of the relationship between peer relations and locus of control according to high school students' psychological well-being levels

This study aims to examine the relationship between peer relationships and locus of control according to the psychological well-being levels of high school students. The research was conducted using a relational survey model. The study group consists of a total of 189 high school students studying in Istanbul, Izmir, and Balikesir during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years. Data collection tools included the "Personal Information Form," "EPOCH Psychological Well-Being Scale," "Peer Relationships Scale," and "Internal-External Locus of Control Scale." These scales were administered both face-to-face and online. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods based on normality tests; independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were applied to normally distributed data, while Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for non-normally distributed data. In addition, correlation and regression analyses were conducted to evaluate relationships between variables. The results indicated significant positive relationships between high school students' psychological well-being levels and both peer relationships and internal locus of control. Conversely, a significant negative relationship was found between external locus of control and psychological well-being. Psychological well-being levels showed significant differences according to demographic variables such as gender and socioeconomic status. Moreover, significant relationships were also identified between peer relationships and locus of control.