Mathematics Anxiety, Engagement, Burnout, and Parental Academic Pressure and Support: A Latent Profile Analysis of Adolescents

Cognitive, emotional, motivational, and contextual factors shape mathematics-related difficulties during adolescence. Previous research has generally examined mathematics engagement, mathematics anxiety, school burnout, parental academic pressure and support, and 21st-century skills as separate constructs. Less is known about how these characteristics are organized within distinct student subgroups. The present utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify distinct mathematics-related profiles among adolescents. Moreoveri it examined whether mathematics achievement, 21st-century skills, age, and gender predicted profile membership. 556 middle school students enrolled in the study using a convenience sample method (312 female; grades 5–8; Mage = 12.39, SD = 1.12).. Five instruments measured engagement, anxiety, burnout, parental academic pressure and support, and 21st-century skills. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of profile membership. Four distinct profiles emerged. The Engaged Profile (33.1%) showed high engagement and low emotional strain. The Burnout-Pressured Profile (16.9%) showed high anxiety, burnout, and parental pressure. The Anxious-Supported Profile (19.5%) combined elevated anxiety with relatively preserved engagement and support. The Disengaged Profile (30.5%) was mainly marked by low engagement and lower perceived support. Mathematics achievement and 21st-century skills significantly predicted profile membership, whereas age and gender did not. Stronger 21st-century skills were associated with a lower likelihood of membership in less-adaptive profiles, suggesting a protective role in adolescents' mathematics-related adjustment. These findings highlight the value of a person-centered approach for informing profile-sensitive support practices in mathematics education.