Impact of Parental Educational Expectations on Parental Anxiety in Western China: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

ABSTRACT Parental educational anxiety (PEA) is a significant risk factor for children's development and well‐being. Previous studies argued that parental educational expectation (PEE) might be one of the predictors of PEA. This study investigates the influence of PEE on PEA and the mechanism of their association among Chinese parents. This study proposes a moderated mediation model, incorporating parental academic involvement (PAI) as a mediator and socioeconomic status as a moderator. The sample includes 3453 parents of Grade 1 to Grade 9 Chinese children from six provinces in Western China (50.9% males; M age = 12.0). Results show that SES has a significant positive moderating effect between PEE and PEA ( β = 0.043, p < 0.001), PAI has a significant mediating effect between PEE and PEA, where the proportion of total effect that is mediated was 27.7%, and SES has a positive moderating effect between PEE and PAI ( β = 0.022, p < 0.05). We recommend that parents maintain reasonable educational expectations and adopt balanced involvement strategies. Also, schools and social agencies should provide more resources for reducing PEA in low‐SES families.