Brief report: Adolescent adjustment in affluent communities: The role of motivational climate and goal orientation

Researchers now recognize that affluent youth experience tremendous achievement pressures, yet contributing factors or outcomes are rarely explored. Using a sample of affluent adolescents, the present study investigates the mediating role of goal orientation (GO) on relations between school motivational climate (MC) and adolescent adjustment. Adolescents from four high schools completed measures of MC (i.e., Performance and Mastery), GO (i.e., Ego and Task), and adjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms, anxiety, and life satisfaction). Performance climates were associated with more adjustment problems while Mastery climates were associated with fewer adjustment problems. Adolescents with higher Ego orientation reported more depressive and anxiety symptoms, while adolescents with higher Task orientation indicated fewer depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction. Adolescent Task orientation mediated the relations between Mastery climate and two adjustment outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms and life satisfaction). Results suggest the importance of non-competitive achievement-oriented values and collaborative school contexts in adolescent adjustment.