Perceived Maternal Attitudes and Test Anxiety in Emerging Adulthood: The Mediating Roles of Self-Compassion and Mindfulness

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.