Raising the Pressure: How Maternal Parenting Style Relates to Academic Performance Anxiety and Resilience in Graduate Students

Abstract

Graduate education demands considerable cognitive, emotional, and social effort, often placing students under substantial pressure to perform. While such environments can support growth, they also increase the risk of aca- demic performance anxiety, which may hinder well-being and achievement. Prior research shows that Baumrind’s parenting styles—authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive—shape emotional regulation, motivation, and coping. However, most studies focus on younger populations, collectivist cultures, or outcome-based academic indicators, with limited attention to how maternal caregiving affects psychological functioning in graduate stu- dents within individualistic Western contexts. This study examined whether maternal parenting style and academic resilience relate to academic performance anxiety in graduate students. The goal was to understand whether early relational experiences and resilience may shape adulthood functioning in high-pressure performance settings to inform more robust mental health support for graduate students. 53 full-time, graduate students completed an online survey that included the Parental Authority Questionnaire–Maternal Version, the Academic Resilience Scale, and an adapted version of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 modified for academic settings. Authoritarian maternal parenting significantly predicted higher academic performance anxiety, particularly somatic symptoms and worry. Academic resilience significantly and negatively predicted academic performance anxiety and was associated with fewer somatic symptoms, less worry, and reduced concentration difficulties. These findings suggest that authori- tarian caregiving may heighten academic stress, whereas resilience serves as a protective factor. Results underscore the enduring influence of early maternal relationships and highlight the value of resilience-based interventions for supporting graduate student mental health.