The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Test Anxiety Among High School Students: The Chain Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation and Psychological Resilience
Tiantian Li, Di Zhou, Wei Zhang, Changting Ju
Psychology in the Schools August 4, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/pits.70074 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 674 |
| Population | Chinese high school students |
| Measures | Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Emotion Regulation Scale, Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescent, Test Anxiety Scale |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | Mindfulness was significantly correlated with test anxiety, cognitive reappraisal, and psychological resilience, but not with expressive suppression. The authors report that mindfulness reduces test anxiety through two independent pathways—cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.22) and psychological resilience (β = 0.70)—and through a chained pathway of cognitive reappraisal leading to psychological resilience and then to lower test anxiety (β = −0.02). |
Abstract
Test anxiety not only affects the performance of high school students in exams but also impacts their mental health. Previous studies have found that mindfulness helps alleviate the negative effects of test anxiety, but studies on its underlying mechanisms remain relatively scarce. Based on the Process Model of Emotion Regulation and the Conservation of Resources Theory, this study investigates the relationship between mindfulness and test anxiety among high school students and explores the mechanisms involved. A survey was conducted using the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, Emotion Regulation Scale, Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescent, and Test Anxiety Scale, involving 674 high school students. The results showed that: (1) Mindfulness was significantly correlated with test anxiety, cognitive reappraisal, and psychological resilience among high school students, while the correlation between test anxiety and expressive suppression was not significant; (2) Mindfulness influences test anxiety through two independent pathways: cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) and psychological resilience (β = 0.70, p < 0.001); (3) Mindfulness also acts through a chain pathway: cognitive reappraisal → psychological resilience → test anxiety (β = −0.02, 95% CI = [−0.04, −0.01]). These findings indicate that mindfulness reduces test anxiety by either enhancing cognitive reappraisal or psychological resilience alone, or by exerting a greater anxiety‐relieving effect through the chain mediating effect of “cognitive reappraisal‐psychological resilience,” providing dual‐pathway evidence for targeted interventions.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Effects of mindfulness on test anxiety: a meta-analysis Frontiers in Psychology June 24, 2024
- Brief Meditation on Test Anxiety of Eighth Grade Chinese Students: Chain-Mediating Roles of Mindfulness and Self-Efficacy School Mental Health May 20, 2024
and 5 more in the library