Revision of the perceived parental-educational-anxiety scale and its application among Chinese college freshmen

Background Parental educational anxiety is prevalent globally and impacts children’s psychological outcomes profoundly. However, children’s perceived parental educational anxiety (PPEA) remains understudied, and a standardized tool for PPEA is lacking. Furthermore, the level and influencing factors of PPEA among children remain unclear. This study aimed to revise the Parental Educational Anxiety Scale from a parental perspective to a child-perceived perspective and to further explore its level and influencing factors in college freshmen. Methods The Perceived Parental Educational Anxiety Scale (PPEAS) was revised via pronoun conversion of the original items and expert consultation. Two independent samples were recruited for scale validation: Sample 1 (n = 232) for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and Sample 2 (n = 287) for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability testing. Subsequently, 646 participants completed the revised PPEAS, the Family Environment Scale-Chinese Version (FES-CV), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Non-parametric tests and hierarchical multiple linear regressions were performed. Results EFA identified a three-factor structure consisting of 16 items with adequate model fit (χ²/df = 2.691, RMSEA = 0.077, TLI = 0.919, CFI = 0.932). Analyses confirmed satisfactory internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.922) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.825). The median PPEA score of Chinese college freshmen was 40 (IQR: 32, 49). Hierarchical regression showed that family conflict was positively associated with PPEA, while children’s resilience was negatively associated with PPEA. Contrary to our hypothesis, family cohesion was not a significant predictor in the final model. Conclusion The revised PPEAS exhibits good reliability and validity, providing a reliable instrument for measuring perceived educational anxiety from the children’s perspective. The findings highlight that reducing family conflict and improving children’s resilience may contribute to lower PPEA levels.