A Study on the Relationship between Parental Autonomy Support and Academic Stress among Upper-Grade Elementary School Students in the Context of China’s “Double Reduction” Policy: The Sequential Mediating Effects of Basic Psychological Needs and Learning Motivation

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among perceived parental autonomy support, basic psychological needs, learning motivation, and academic stress among upper-grade elementary school students under China’s “Double Reduction” policy. It also tested the sequential mediating effects of basic psychological needs and learning motivation in the relationship between parental autonomy support and academic stress. Data were collected from 503 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students in China and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis. The results showed that parental autonomy support was positively associated with basic psychological needs and learning motivation, and negatively associated with academic stress. The sequential mediating effect of basic psychological needs and learning motivation was also significant. These findings suggest that children’s academic stress should be understood in relation to family learning support and psychological and motivational processes, within the educational context of the implementation of China’s “Double Reduction” policy.