The Mediating Role of Family Climate and the Moderating Role of Family Structure in the Relationship between Academic Anxiety and Adjustment among Higher Secondary School Students

Abstract

The present study examines the mediating role of family climate and the moderating role of family structure in the relationship between academic anxiety and adjustment among higher secondary school students in Imphal West, Manipur. The number of samples was 200. Higher Secondary School students were selected using simple random sampling. Standardised tools such as the Academic Anxiety Scale (Sharma & Shakir), the Adjustment Inventory for School Students (Sinha & Singh), and the Family Climate Scale (Shah) were used to collect data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and PROCESS macro analyses (Models 4 & 7). The results showed that the academic anxiety score was significantly negatively correlated with adjustment, which means that the students who had high academic anxiety scores had low adjustment scores in this study. The results of the mediation analysis indicated that family climate did not significantly mediate the relationship between academic anxiety and adjustment. In the moderation analysis, however, family structure was found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between academic anxiety and adjustment. The scores of the students in joint families had less negative correlation with academic anxiety, and joint family structure might be protective in relation to the adverse effects of academic anxiety. The results show that the family environment plays a crucial role in students' coping skills and adjustment under academic stress. The findings of the study have significant implications for education, school counsellors, policy makers and mental health workers in developing family-focused interventions and supports that will promote positive psychological functioning and adjustment in students.