Parental expectation and psychological distress of Chinese youth: the chain mediating effects of core self-worth and perceived stress
These findings underscore the dual nature of parental expectations as both direct and cascading stressors. The study advances stress-appraisal theories by elucidating mechanisms through which external pressures from parental expectation internalize as psychological harm. Culturally tailored interventions should target stress resilience and core self-worth reinforcement. By addressing conditional acceptance and fostering autonomy, strategies can mitigate mental health risks tied to excessive parental demands. This research calls for policy and educational reforms to balance parental aspirations with children's well-being, emphasizing systemic support for marginalized youth.
Authors
- Shuang Xue
- Qiaolan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2938-7152)
- Qian Dai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9715-9955)
- Zeyuan Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2309-8149)
- Jing Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4969-9401)
- Jiuping Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8643-164X)
- Wanjie Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1966-0765)
- Siqi Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1546-4696)
Institutions
- Charles Sturt University (AU)
- King's College London (GB)
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
- Sichuan University (CN)
- Leshan Normal University (CN)
- West China Hospital of Sichuan University (CN)
- Chengdu Normal University (CN)
- Sichuan Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Public Health
- Published
- 2025-10-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24759-w
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.61
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China