Open Access

ARTICLE

When Parents Worry: How Parental Educational Anxiety Impacts Adolescent Academic Success through Depression, Self-Efficacy, and Social Media

Haohan Zhao¹, Xingchen Zhu², Wencan Li^3,*, Xin Lin^4,*

1 School of Chinese Language and Literature, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China
2 College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China
3 Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
4 Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau, 100084, China

* Corresponding Authors: Wencan Li. Email: ; Xin Lin. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Mattering in the Digital Era: Exploring Its Role in Internet Use Patterns and Mental Health Outcomes)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025, 27(4), 517-540. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.062739

Received 26 December 2024; Accepted 06 March 2025; Issue published 30 April 2025

Abstract

Background: Despite increasing attention to parental educational anxiety in China’s educational system, the underlying mechanisms through which this anxiety affects adolescent academic performance remain unclear. This study aims to investigate how parental educational anxiety influences academic outcomes through depression and self-efficacy while considering the role of problematic social media use in today’s digital age. Methods: Data analysis was conducted using stratified random cluster sampling techniques. Participants for this study were recruited from middle and high schools in China. The sample comprised 2579 traditional two-parent families, each consisting of a pair of parents and one child. The commencement of data collection occurred in March 2024. A range of analytical techniques was employed to examine the relationship between parental education anxiety and student academic performance, including bivariate correlations, path analysis, mediation analysis, and moderation analysis. Results: The study findings revealed that parental educational anxiety negatively predicted student academic performance (β = −0.510, t = −35.011, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant and negative relationship was identified between student depression and self-efficacy (β = −0.179, t = −8.336, p < 0.001), which was chain-mediated. Additionally, problematic social media use moderated the relationship between parental educational anxiety and student academic performance (p < 0.001), with stronger negative effects at higher levels of social media use. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that parental educational anxiety has both direct and indirect negative associations with student academic performance through complex psychological pathways. The findings reveal a sequential mediation mechanism where parental educational anxiety first influences student depression, which in turn affects self-efficacy, ultimately impacting academic performance. The strength of these relationships is notably moderated by problematic social media use, with higher levels of social media engagement amplifying the negative association between parental educational anxiety and academic outcomes. These findings illuminate the complex interplay between family dynamics, student mental health, and educational achievement in the contemporary digital age.

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