Objective: The present study aimed to examine differences in academic well-being, academic help-seeking, parent–child relationship, and emotional independence among elementary school students based on their mothers’ employment status (employed vs. stay-at-home)
Method: This applied study adopted a causal-comparative design using a quantitative approach. The statistical population consisted of fourth- to sixth-grade students in District 7 of Tehran during the 2024–2025 academic year. A total of 312 students were selected through cluster random sampling. Data were collected using validated questionnaires measuring academic well-being (Tuominen-Soini et al., 2012), academic help-seeking) Ryan & Pintrich ,1997(,emotional independence(Steinberg & Silverberg, 1986), and parent–child relationship (Fine, Moreland, & Schubel ,1983). Data analysis was conducted using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in SPSS version 27.
Results: The results indicated statistically significant differences (p < 0/05)between students with employed and stay-at-home mothers in emotional independence, parent–child relationship, academic satisfaction, and school engagement. Students with employed mothers demonstrated higher performance in academic dimensions, whereas students with stay-at-home mothers obtained higher scores in emotional independence and relational components. No significant differences were found between the two groups in overall academic well-being, school value, academic burnout, or academic help-seeking.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that mothers’ employment status is associated with particular academic, emotional, and relational outcomes in elementary school students. These differences can be explained through the frameworks of socio-emotional development, autonomy, attachment theory, and ecological systems theory. These findings emphasize the importance of focusing on the quality of parent–child interactions and the mother’s role in children’s academic and emotional development.