title: The interplay of parental support, parental pressure and test anxiety--Gender differences in adolescents.
abstract: This study examined gender-specific relationships between adolescents' perceptions of school-related support/pressure from their parents and test anxiety. A sample of German students (N = 845; Mage = 15.32; SD = .49) completed questionnaires that measured their perceived parental support/pressure (for mother and father separately) as well as the four main components of test anxiety (worry, interference, lack of confidence, and emotionality). Gender-specific relations were identified using multigroup structural equation modeling: For girls, perceived maternal pressure was positively associated with emotionality and interference; for boys, perceived father pressure and father support were positively associated with interference and worry, respectively. For both genders, perceived mother pressure and support were related to lack of confidence. Our findings suggest that adolescents' perceptions of maternal attitudes are associated with students' self-confidence irrespective of the child's gender, whereas the remaining facets of test anxiety follow same-sex trajectories between perceived parental attitudes and adolescents' test anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Merseburg University of Applied Sciences, Geusaer Str. 88, 06217 Merseburg, Germany. Electronic address: tobias.ringeisen@hs-merseburg.de.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ringeisen
authors.affiliation: Free University Berlin, Department of Educational Science and Psychology, AB Methods & Evaluation, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: diana.raufelder@fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raufelder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D060805:Performance Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013732:Test Anxiety Scale
keywords: Adolescence; Gender; Parental pressure; Parental support; Test anxiety