Perceived Maternal Attitudes and Test Anxiety in Emerging Adulthood: The Mediating Roles of Self-Compassion and Mindfulness
Filiz Kunuroglu, Elif Şeker, Dilara Turgut
Spiritual Psychology and Counseling June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.37898/spiritualpc.1811616 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional mediation study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 368 |
| Population | Turkish university students aged 18–25 (emerging adults) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Protective-demanding maternal attitudes were directly associated with test anxiety and indirectly through mindfulness and self-compassion (partial mediation). Democratic and authoritarian maternal attitudes showed no significant direct effects on test anxiety; their associations were fully mediated by mindfulness and self-compassion. The authors suggest mindfulness and self-compassion are key protective factors and that interventions enhancing them could help students, especially those with protective-demanding mothers. |
Abstract
This study sets out to examine the mediating roles of self-compassion and mindfulness in the link between perceived maternal attitudes and test anxiety among a Turkish group of emerging adults. The study included 368 university students (18–25 years) who completed self-report measures on test anxiety, mindfulness, self-compassion, and parental attitudes. Mediation analysis showed that protective-demanding maternal attitudes directly influenced test anxiety and indirectly through mindfulness and self-compassion (partial mediation). In contrast, the effects of democratic and authoritarian maternal attitudes on test anxiety were fully mediated by mindfulness and self-compassion, as no significant direct effects were found. Mindfulness and self-compassion emerged as key protective factors, suggesting that interventions enhancing these skills could help students, particularly those with protective-demanding mothers.
Citations in the library
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