The Influence of Parental Involvement on Depression Among Students in Public Secondary Schools in Tigania West, Meru County

This study investigated the influence of parental involvement on students' depression in public secondary schools in Tigania West, Meru County, Kenya. The study sought to determine whether different dimensions of parental involvement act as protective factors against adolescent depression. The study was guided by Bowlby’s Attachment Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and adopted a descriptive survey design using a quantitative approach. Data were collected from 173 students selected from five public secondary schools using the Student-Rated Parental School Involvement Questionnaire (SR-PSIQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. The findings revealed that 22.6% of the students exhibited depressive symptoms categorized as borderline, moderate, severe, or extreme depression, indicating a significant mental health concern. Parental involvement showed a statistically significant moderate negative correlation with depression (r = -0.260, p < 0.001), suggesting that higher parental involvement is associated with lower levels of depression. Among the dimensions of parental involvement, parental financial support (r = -0.240, p = 0.002) and parental involvement in school activities (r = -0.223, p = 0.003) were the strongest protective factors, while parent–student communication was not statistically significant. The study highlights the importance of tangible parental support in reducing depressive symptoms among adolescents. It recommends that policymakers, school administrators, and parents strengthen socioeconomic support systems and encourage structured parental engagement in school activities to enhance students’ mental health and well-being.