Parental Pressure and Performance Anxiety Among High School Athletes: A Comparative Study of Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Households in the Palos Verdes Region

This study examines the relationship between perceived parental pressure and performance anxiety among high school athletes from immigrant and non-immigrant households at three schools in the Palos Verdes region of Southern California. Using a cross-sectional survey design with researcher-adapted items informed by the MCISCQ-Parent, SAS-2, and SPYSS instruments (Cronbach’s α = .81, .79, and .85, respectively), data were collected from 143 eligible participants (74 immigrant households; 69 non-immigrant households) out of 146 total respondents. Immigrant-household athletes reported significantly higher perceived parental pressure (M = 3.01, SD = 1.00 vs. M = 2.26, SD = 0.76; t(141) ≈ 5.07, p < .001, d ≈ 0.84) and performance anxiety (M = 3.36, SD = 0.72 vs. M = 2.59, SD = 0.83; t(141) ≈ 5.90, p < .001, d ≈ 0.99) than non-immigrant peers. Both groups showed a strong positive correlation between parental pressure and anxiety (immigrant: r = .774; non-immigrant: r = .766), with no statistically detectable difference between them (z ≈ 0.15, p ≈ .88). A numerically larger emotional responsiveness–anxiety correlation was observed in the immigrant group (r = −.448) than in the non-immigrant group (r = −.178), though a direct Fisher’s r-to-z test of the difference fell short of significance (z ≈ 1.78, p ≈ .075). Findings are interpreted with attention to measurement-invariance assumptions and the adapted nature of the survey instrument; results are framed as preliminary and hypothesis-generating. Implications for culturally responsive approaches to athlete mental health in diverse school communities are discussed