Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Previous research has indicated the association of perceived stress with mental health problems. In China, Confucian collectivism and an exam-centered culture encourage parents to have high educational expectations that impose great pressure on their children��?s learning. However, limited research has focused on adolescents��? perceptions of the negative consequences of academic stress stemming from their parents��? educational expectations. This study addressed this research gap by examining the direct effect of adolescents��? perceptions of academic stress on their depressive symptoms and the indirect effects of both parent-child communication and interaction. We further explored the pathway differences between overweight and non-overweight adolescents. By using a sample (n = 6,566) from the first two waves of the China Education Panel Survey, moderated mediation analysis was performed to simultaneously analyze the mediating roles of parent-children communication and parent-children interaction and the moderating role of adolescent overweight status. The results showed that adolescents��? perceived academic stress (W1) was positively associated with their depressive symptoms (W2). This association was partially mediated by both parent-child communication (W1) and parent-child interaction (W1). Moreover, adolescent overweight status significantly moderated the paths between the adolescents��? perceived academic stress and their depressive symptoms, between their perceived academic stress and parent-child interaction, and the indirect relationship via parent-child interaction. The study��?s findings identify the significant roles of parent-child communication and parent-children interaction in contemporary China and indicate overweight adolescents��? susceptibility to stress.

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