Citation :

Ananya Sushil Bathija, "The Interplay of Personality, Coping, and Parental Expectations in Predicting Adolescent Anxiety," International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 143-156, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V13I4P116

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relationship between personality and adolescent mental health, with a focus on generalized anxiety, coping strategies, and perceived parental expectations. The study employed a cross-sectional correlation design, with a sample of 100 adolescents in the age range of 13 to 19 years. Standardized instruments were utilised, such as the Quiet Quiz to measure personality, the Severity Measure for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) to measure anxiety, the Brief COPE for assessing the coping strategies, and the Perception of Parental Expectations Inventory. Statistical analysis, such as Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis tests, one-way ANOVA, pearson correlation, multiple regression and mediation analysis were conducted. Results indicated that female adolescents reported higher anxiety levels than their male counterparts. Significant differences in anxiety were observed between the different personality types, with introverts reporting the highest levels of anxiety, followed by ambiverts. Findings suggest that introverts used emotion-focused and avoidant coping strategies, whereas extroverts used problem-focused coping strategies. Anxiety was significantly positively correlated with emotion-focused and avoidant coping strategies. Parental ambition showed a small but significant positive correlation with anxiety. Regression analysis revealed that avoidant coping was a significant predictor of anxiety, explaining a substantial portion of variance. Mediation analysis suggested a non-significant indirect effect of avoidant coping between parental ambition and anxiety. The findings highlight the critical role of personality and coping strategies in adolescent anxiety. This emphasizes the importance of personality-informed interventions for improving adolescent mental health outcomes.

Keywords

Personality, Coping, Stress, Academic Achievement, Parental Ambition, Anxiety, Adolescents.

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