The Impact of Parenting Styles on Adolescents' Anxiety and

Academic Achievement

Jincheng Liang

Hefei No.10 High School, Hefei, 230031, China

Keywords: Parenting Styles, Adolescent Anxiety, Academic Achievement.

Abstract: This paper reviews papers about the impact of parenting styles on adolescents' anxiety and academic

achievement, emphasizing the differential effects of cultural background and parental role. The study shows

that parenting styles have different effects on students' anxiety and academic performance. Cultural

differences play a crucial role in parenting styles and anxiety while permissive parenting is more favourable

to adolescents' adjustment to school life in Spain, compared to the conclusion that authoritarian parenting is

more positive in Asia. In addition, gender differences are also significant, with authoritative parenting styles

of fathers associated with low levels of anxiety in university students, while authoritarian parenting styles of

mothers were associated with high levels of anxiety. These findings emphasize the different roles that mothers

and fathers play in shaping the emotional well-being of their children. In terms of academic achievement, the

paper reveals that effective parental supervision and care is positively associated with academic success. It

also highlights the need for more nuanced research to explain the influence of both parents and to explore

how parenting styles affect gender differences in anxiety and academic achievement. The paper concludes

with practical recommendations, such as increasing parental involvement.

1 INTRODUCTION

In today's world, the influence of the family on

children is more widely discussed. Many studies have

shown that parents' educational expectations of their

children

with the educational environment provided and

the way it is done, have a significant impact on their

development (Fan & Williams, 2010).

At the same time, the anxiety status of young

people is also a topic of concern. In England, two-

fifths of young people score above the threshold for

emotional problems (Deighton et al., 2019). In

addition, the association between parenting and

children's academic performance has generated some

discussion and different perspectives.

The aim of this paper is to summarise the

literature discussing the association between the two

elements of family parenting on adolescents' anxiety

status and academic achievement (AA), and also to

further explore and give recommendations for future

research directions.

2 PARENTING STYLES (PSS),

ANXIETY STATES AND AA

2.1 Parenting Styles

PS is best conceptualised as a context that moderates

the influence of specific parenting practices on the

child (Darling & Steinberg, 2017). Baumrind's

influential model of PSs states that PSs can be divided

by two dimensions (parental warmth versus level of

control) which in turn can be classified into four types,

authoritative, authoritarian and permissive and

rejecting neglecting. Authoritative PSs are

characterised by high levels of control and warmth,

with parents listening to their children and respecting

their children's feelings, whilst giving appropriate

guidance and limits. Authoritarian PSs are

characterised by high control and low warmth; these

parents will tightly control their children's behaviour

but are less attentive to their children's emotional

needs or opinions. In addition, permissive PSs are

characterized by low control and high warmth; these

parents focus on their children's emotional needs but

rarely set clear rules or control their children's

behaviour. Rejecting-Neglecting PSs are reflected in

Liang, J.

The Impact of Parenting Styles on Adolescents’ Anxiety and Academic Achievement.

DOI: 10.5220/0014150600004942

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Applied Psychology and Marketing Management (APMM 2025), pages 673-676

ISBN: 978-989-758-791-7

673

low control and low warmth. This type of parent lacks

attention to both the child's emotional needs and

behaviour management (Baumrind, 1971).

2.2 Anxiety States

Anxiety is a subjective feeling of uneasiness,

discomfort, apprehension or fear accompanied by a

range of autonomic and somatic manifestations.

Anxiety is a normal, emotional, rational and

anticipatory response to real or potential danger (Shri,

2010). Increased anxiety leads to increased severity

of perceived pain and decreased pain tolerance

(Michaelides & Zis, 2019). At the same time, anxiety

can make people extremely fearful and anxious,

which can cause people to try to escape from

something they perceive as a threat, such as a social

situation or an unfamiliar place. Even if they don’t

pose a threat (Craske, 1999). Excessive anxiety in

students is detrimental to their health, and can cause

problems such as stomachaches or headaches, sleep

problems, and substance abuse (Miller, 2025).

2.3 AA

AA refers to a student's communication (speaking,

reading, writing), maths, science, social science and

thinking skills. These skills enable students to be

successful in school and in society (Lindholm-Leary,

2006). Typically, factors such as standardised

achievement tests, grade point averages, and other

factors can be used to measure AA in research.

3 IMPACT OF PSS ON ANXIETY

SITUATIONS

The initial point that requires clarification is that

some researchers have found that the relationship

between PS and anxiety varies across cultures. For

example, Asian samples reported more severe anxiety

symptoms on all anxiety subscales compared to

Europe/USA (Mousavi & Low, 2016). In addition, in

contrast to the finding that authoritarian parenting is

more positive in Asian, the findings in Spain are

completely different. For the study in Spain, the

researchers selected 437 high school students

encompassing different genders and levels of

education from seven public high schools in the

Valencia region of Spain. Also, this study used the

Warmth/Affection Scale and Parental Control Scale,

both integrated in the Parental Acceptance-

Rejection/Control Questionnaire to examine PSs and

used the Questionnaire of Academic Stress in

Secondary Education (QASSE) to measure academic

stress (Rohner, 1989; Rohner, 1990). Ultimately, it

was obtained that permissive parenting is more

favourable to the school adjustment of Spanish

adolescents and to the reduction of academic stress.

Again, this supports the significance of regional

differences.

In addition, anxiety situations do not produce the

same effects when parents of different genders

implement different PSs. In a study in 2007, 298

students from a university in the southeastern region

of the United States were selected from an age range

of 18 to 25 years old, from all grades, and from a

variety of ethnicities (80 males, 214 females, and 4

students who did not indicate their gender). The

researchers methodologically chose The Parental

Authority Questionnaire) (Buri, 1991). to measure

college students‘ PSs during childhood and The

Manifest Anxiety Scale (Taylor, 1953). to measure

students’ anxiety levels. They learnt from the data

that the father's authoritative PS was significantly

negatively correlated with college students' anxiety

levels (r = -0.23, p < 0.001), while the mother's

authoritarian PS was significantly positively

correlated with anxiety levels (r = 0.13, p < 0.02),

Whereas, mother's authoritative type, father's

authoritarian type, and both parents‘ permissive PSs

were not significantly associated with college

students’ anxiety levels (Silva et al., 2007).

Overall, some researchers have obtained

conclusions with clear generalisations: lower levels

of anxiety, or fewer anxiety symptoms or

internalising symptoms are associated with parental

affection, warmth and acceptance. Conversely, higher

levels or more of these symptoms are associated with

excessive parental control (Besteiro & Quintanilla,

2023). Moreover, MinJun Choong points out an

unexplored area where both authoritative and

permissive PSs are associated with children's social

anxiety, which requires further research (Choong,

2023).

4 IMPACT OF PSS ON

STUDENTS' AA

A number of researchers have pointed to the

differential impact of parenting on students' AA.

They analysed Wave I and Wave II data from the

National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult

Health (Add Health), completed in September 1994

to December 1995 and from April to August 1996,

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respectively (Harris & Richard, 2018). After selection,

the final sample included 2,306 adolescents living in

heterosexual two-parent households that varied in

ethnicity, family income, and parental education. The

researchers also used latent profile analysis to

determine parental warmth patterns and measured

AA in terms of GPA. They found that different

parenting by fathers versus mothers can have

different effects on adolescent outcomes. At the same

time, excluding one parent and not considering the

joint influence of both parents can also produce

misconceptions about parenting in research (Chung et

al., 2019). In terms of overall impact, some

researchers have used the Alabama Parenting

Questionnaire-Short Form (Elgar et al., 2007). and

self-developed standardised tests by surveying 231

third- and fourth-grade students in the Romanian

region to measure, respectively PSs and academic

performance, ultimately leading to the conclusion that

poor parental supervision was negatively correlated

with student performance in language arts and

mathematics (Albulescu et al., 2023). Meanwhile,

Wilder's study also proved the point that the

relationship between parental involvement and AA is

positive (Wilder, 2023). It is also important to note

that Barton, A. L. and Kirtley, M. S. in their study

indicated that anxiety and stress mediated the

relationship between PSs and depression in female

students, whereas the existence of a mediating

relationship between male students' scores was not

found (Barton & Kirtley, 2011). This is a reminder

that researchers need to be aware of the influence of

adolescent gender in this issue.

5 DISCUSSION AND

SUGGESTION

When discussing the effect of PSs on anxiety, the

cultural difference factor is one of the key factors in

the discussion, for example, compared to some

European countries like Spain, in Asian countries like

Malaysia and China, children's anxiety reacts

differently in different PSs, which means that the

researchers need to take into account the cultural

backgrounds of different countries and regions, as

well as to give practical solutions. At the same time,

research also needs to focus on the different

influences of fathers and mothers in the same PS. For

example, fathers’ authoritative PS is significantly

negatively associated with college students’ anxiety

levels, while mothers' authoritarian PS is positively

associated with anxiety levels. This suggests that the

roles of fathers and mothers in the formation of

adolescent anxiety may differ and that there is a need

to make a distinction between parental roles in

education.

In addition, in terms of the effect of PSs on

students' AA, many papers suggest that adequate

parental supervision is sufficiently associated with

increased AA of children. Meanwhile, the effect of

PSs on AA varies across family roles. Moreover,

inappropriate PSs are more likely to induce anxiety

and lead to lower AA in the female group than in the

male group. This requires researchers to discuss more

about the gender differences in PSs on the AA of

students of different genders.

6 CONCLUSION

In family education, it is particularly important to

choose the right kind of parenting, as it can

significantly impact a child’s mental and academic

development. Reviewing some of the papers that have

examined the effects of family parenting on

adolescents' anxiety and academic performance, the

author find that cultural and gender differences have

an impact on this process. Furthermore, the influence

of fathers and mothers in the same PS can differ, with

fathers' authoritative parenting being associated with

lower anxiety levels in adolescents, while mothers'

authoritarian parenting is more likely to correlate with

higher anxiety. This indicates that the roles each

parent plays in the educational process are not

interchangeable and can have differential effects on a

child's anxiety. In addition, effective parental

supervision, coupled with warmth and affection, is

strongly linked to better academic performance.

Parents who engage in supportive, involved parenting

help reduce academic stress, foster motivation, and

encourage positive learning behaviors. Both parents

and society must remain sensitive to cultural, gender,

and individual differences when supporting

children’s education. Tailoring parenting approaches

to the child's unique needs can help alleviate anxiety

and promote academic success, which, in turn,

contributes to educational excellence and the healthy,

well-rounded development of the child.

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