Growth Under Pressure: A Cross-Cultural Review of Parenting, Adversity, and Academic Anxiety in Shaping Adolescent Mindsets

Abstract

The interplay between parenting styles, adversity, and academic anxiety in shaping growth mindsets among adolescents across diverse cultural contexts is always an area of concern. Adverse life events, such as trauma or chronic family stress, often undermine adolescents’ belief in their capacity for development, with academic anxiety serving as a critical mediating factor that discourages risk-taking and persistence. Socioeconomic status and gender are identified as important moderators, with youth from disadvantaged backgrounds and girls in stereotype-threatened domains facing unique barriers but also demonstrating significant gains from targeted interventions. Following the guidelines of the PRISMA model synthesising evidence from 98 empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025, this systematic review investigates how supportive, autonomy-promoting parenting consistently fosters a growth mindset, while harsh or neglectful parenting is linked to fixed beliefs and increased anxiety.   The findings emphasize the need for holistic approaches that address family dynamics, stress management, and classroom climate to cultivate resilient, growth-oriented attitudes in adolescents. Practical implications include the recommendation for integrated interventions involving both parental education and school-based supports to effectively promote growth mindsets and reduce academic anxiety. The review also notes limitations, such as language and cultural bias in the literature and the predominance of correlational research designs, and calls for more longitudinal and experimental studies to clarify causal pathways. Overall, the review underscores that adolescent mindsets are not innate traits but are shaped by complex, modifiable environmental factors.