Test anxiety and satisfaction with studies: the mediating role of academic engagement in university students

This study, based on the Control-Value Theory (CVT) and enhanced by the Study Demands-Resources (SD-R) framework (an adaptation of the Job Demands-Resources model to academic contexts), analyzed the structural relationships among test anxiety, academic engagement, and satisfaction with studies among Peruvian university students. The research particularly concentrated on the role of engagement in clarifying this relationship. A cross-sectional associative design incorporating latent variables was utilized. The sample comprised 522 students with a mean age of 20.6 years and a standard deviation of 2.17. Standardized instruments, namely TAI-State, UWES-3S, and BSSWS, were employed. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the WLSMV estimator. The measurement model showed satisfactory reliability (α, ω > .700) and validity. The structural model demonstrated an adequate fit: Scaled χ 2 (186) = 585.919; p < .001; CFI = .973, TLI = .969; RMSEA = .064, 90% CI [.058, .070]; SRMR = .048. Results indicated that test anxiety is negatively associated with satisfaction (β = − .154, p = .001) and academic engagement (β = − .172, p < .001). Academic engagement is positively associated with satisfaction (β = .674, p < .001) and statistically accounts for 37.32% of the total association between anxiety and satisfaction. The model proved invariant across gender and university type. Statistical analysis indicates that academic engagement significantly contributes to the relationship between achievement emotions and student satisfaction. These findings imply that university support strategies may be enhanced by integrating re-engagement methods in conjunction with anxiety reduction to promote student well-being.