The Effect of Parenting Expectations on Adolescent Depression: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

青少年抑郁问题在全球范围内日益突出，父母的教育期望作为青少年成长过程中的重要外部因素，但目前关于父母教育期望对青少年抑郁的影响存在一定争议。自尊作为个体对自我价值的评价，可能在家长教育期望和青少年抑郁中起中介作用。本研究通过对中国教育追踪调查(CPFS)中960对亲子的问卷调查数据进行分析，发现自尊在教育期望和抑郁中起中介作用，高教育期望通过降低青少年自尊进而增加青少年抑郁，适度的父母教育期望有助于提升青少年的自尊，从而减少抑郁情绪的发生。本研究对教育工作者和父母具有重要的现实意义。期望水平需要符合青少年的心理承受能力，过高或不切实际的期望会对其心理健康造成负面影响。Adolescent depression is becoming increasingly prominent globally, and parental educational expectations serve as an important external factor in adolescent development, but there is currently some controversy regarding the effects of parental educational expectations on adolescent depression. Self-esteem, as an individual’s evaluation of self-worth, may play a mediating role in parental educational expectations and adolescent depression. This study analyzed data from the 960-parent-child questionnaire of the China Education Tracking Survey (CPFS) and found that self-esteem mediates educational expectations and depression, high educational expectations increase adolescent depression by decreasing adolescents’ self-esteem, and moderate parental educational expectations help to increase adolescents’ self-esteem and thus reduce depression. This study has important practical implications for educators and parents. Expectations need to be in line with adolescents’ psychological capacity, and high or unrealistic expectations may have a negative impact on their psychological health.