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.