Does school climate affect student well-being? Anxiety in school situations as a predictor of stress in high-school students

BACKGROUND: When the school climate is not ideal and coping skills for school situations are not strengthened in adolescents, school anxiety and stress may be manifested, potentially harming development and mental health during adulthood. This study aimed to analyze the predictive ability of school anxiety on elevated levels of stress in high-school students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional predictive study was conducted with 1588 students aged 12–18 (M = 14.82; SD = 1.86) years in 2023. The School Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were administered to the participants. An inferential data analysis method was applied. Specifically, binary logistic regression was used for data analysis. The influence of school anxiety on stress was examined using the odds ratio statistic. RESULTS: The total score on school anxiety (OR = 1.02), the situational factors: anxiety about aggression (OR = 1.03), anxiety regarding social evaluation (OR = 1.02), anxiety about failure and school punishment (OR = 1.03), and anxiety about school evaluation (OR = 1.04), as well as the response systems: cognitive (OR = 1.04), behavioral (OR = 1.08), and psychophysiological (OR = 1.04), positively and significantly ( P = 0.000) influenced the high scores on stress. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate the need to detect school anxiety in adolescents at an early state to intervene in both anxiety-provoking situations and responses and in the resulting high stress. Similarly, schools should promote mental health work and self-regulation to prepare students for adult life.