Developmental trajectories and the longitudinal associations of emotional resilience and test anxiety: A prospective study in high school students

Background Test anxiety is known to be negatively associated with emotional resilience. However, some studies suggest that emotional resilience helps adolescents manage test anxiety, while others argue that test anxiety undermines emotional resilience. Aims This study aims to clarify the developmental trajectories of emotional resilience and test anxiety in high school students, explore their interrelationships over time, and investigate potential gender differences. Sample(s) The study utilised three waves of survey data from 637 high school students. Methods A latent growth model was employed to examine the overall developmental trajectories of emotional resilience and test anxiety. A parallel‐process latent class growth model was used to identify joint developmental patterns and explore gender differences. A cross‐lagged model was applied to explore the prospective associations between the two variables separately for boys and girls. Results Emotional resilience declined with grade progression, while test anxiety increased. Joint trajectories analysis identified three patterns: “low stable resilience – high stable anxiety,” “moderate declining resilience – moderate increasing anxiety,” and “high declining resilience – low increasing anxiety.” Girls were more likely than boys to be classified into “low stable resilience – high stable anxiety” group. Longitudinal analyses revealed gender differences: for boys, higher emotional resilience predicted lower future test anxiety, whereas for girls, higher test anxiety predicted lower emotional resilience. Conclusions The developmental trajectories of emotional resilience and test anxiety exhibit heterogeneity and gender differences. The findings highlight the importance of considering gender when designing interventions to enhance emotional resilience and reduce test anxiety.