A Causal Inference Study on the Impact of Family Environment on Students' Mental Health and Academic Performance: A Case Study of CEPS 2014–2015 Follow-Up on Eighth Grade Students

With evolving educational concepts, the importance of students' overall development-encompassing academic performance and mental health-is increasingly recognized by schools and parents. This study uses data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) to examine how family factors impact these areas through causal inference. The findings indicate that family economic status and parental academic expectations positively affect academic performance, while communication quality, parent-student relationships, and parental conflicts significantly influence mental health. Additionally, mental health levels also positively impact academic performance. Notably, the effect of economic difficulties on academic performance is substantial, and parental expectations positively influence performance only when set at the “college diploma“ level or higher. Parental conflicts have a particularly strong negative effect on students' mental well-being.