Classroom Anxiety and Perceived Parenting Styles: A Moderated Mediation Model of Adolescent Well-Being and Academic Level

Abstract

Adolescence is a period marked by heightened emotional sensitivity to both academic and familial environments. This study investigated the direct, mediated, and moderated relationships between Classroom Anxiety and adolescents’ perceptions of Parenting Styles, with adolescent well-being as a potential mediator and academic level as a moderator. A sample of 1,015 Indian adolescents (ages 15–18) from secondary and senior secondary classes completed validated self-report measures assessing Classroom Anxiety, Parenting Styles (Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive), and five dimensions of well-being based on the EPOCH framework (Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness). Using structural equation modeling in R, we tested a moderated mediation model. Results indicated that higher Classroom Anxiety was directly associated with lower perceptions of Authoritative Parenting and higher perceptions of Authoritarian and Permissive styles. Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness significantly mediated these relationships. Multi-group analyses revealed academic level as a significant moderator: senior secondary students exhibited stronger direct effects of anxiety on Perceived Parenting Styles, while secondary students demonstrated more complex indirect pathways through well-being variables. These findings support all four hypotheses, highlighting the distinct developmental mechanisms by which adolescents interpret and internalize stressors. The results accentuate the importance of targeting psychological well-being—particularly Optimism and Connectedness—as a means of buffering the impact of academic stress on family dynamics. Implications for school-based mental health programs and Parenting interventions are discussed, along with directions for future longitudinal and culturally diverse research