Revision of the perceived parental-educational-anxiety scale and its application among Chinese college freshmen
- 1Department of Pain, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
- 2Research center for Children’s Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing, China
Abstract
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.
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BibTeX
@article{du2026revision,
title = {{Revision of the perceived parental-educational-anxiety scale and its application among Chinese college freshmen}},
author = {Laiju Du and Zongpei Dai and Xiaoxiao Sun and Ming Liu and Qin Dai},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0358097},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358097},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Revision of the perceived parental-educational-anxiety scale and its application among Chinese college freshmen
AU - Laiju Du
AU - Zongpei Dai
AU - Xiaoxiao Sun
AU - Ming Liu
AU - Qin Dai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0358097
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358097
AB - 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.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -