Parent–child discrepancies in educational expectations and depressive symptoms among Chinese middle school adolescents: A moderated mediation model analysis

Using data from the China Education Panel Survey ( N = 9226), this study aims to explore the association between parent–child discrepancies in educational expectations and depressive symptoms in Chinese middle school adolescents with academic self-efficacy as a mediator and gender as a moderator. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the associations between parent–child discrepancies in educational expectations and adolescent depressive symptoms. The moderated mediation model was tested by the bootstrapping method. We found a significant association between higher parents’ expectations and adolescent depressive symptoms, and that academic self-efficacy partially mediated the two. Moreover, the pathway was moderated by gender, namely, the impact of academic self-efficacy on depressive symptoms was significant in girls but not in boys. This study provides evidence for policymakers and researchers that parents holding reasonable educational expectations for their children and strengthening their children's academic self-efficacy are crucial for preventing depressive symptoms in Chinese middle school adolescents, especially for girls.