Parenting and Teacher-Student Relationship as Protective Factors for Chinese Adolescent Adjustment During COVID-19

COVID-19 negatively impacts students' learning as well as physical and mental health. This study examined the effects of perceived online learning difficulties and cyberbullying on academic engagement and mental health, and if parenting styles and student-teacher relationship moderated these relations among 733 middle school students (54.3% boys) and their parents (M-age = 44.76 years, SD = 4.13 years, 28.1% fathers and 71.9% mothers) from Beijing, China. Results suggested that perceived online learning difficulties and cyberbullying predicted more mental health difficulties; perceived difficulties with online learning negatively predicted academic engagement. Authoritative parenting and positive student-teacher relationship predicted more academic engagement and less mental health difficulties, while authoritarian parenting predicted more mental health difficulties. Student-teacher relationship also moderated the relation between cyberbullying and mental health as well as difficulties with online learning and academic engagement. Parents and adolescents wanted more interactions with teachers and group activities to foster peer relationships, and more support from teachers and school psychologists to address students' social and emotional needs during COVID-19. Implications for school psychologists and school staff are discussed. Impact Statement A majority of Chinese middle school students in our sample experienced difficulties with distance learning during COVID-19, which was negatively related to their academic engagement (e.g., active participation in class) and mental health. This is one of the first studies to highlight the importance of two protective factors (authoritative parenting and positive student-teacher relationships) on student academic engagement and mental health during COVID-19. The findings highlight important implications for school staff (teachers and school psychologists) and provide suggestions on how to better support adolescents in the online learning environment during the COVID-19.

Automated summary

The study found that students' perception of online learning difficulties and cyberbullying impacts academic engagement and mental health, and that parenting styles and student-teacher relationships play important moderating roles. Students and parents expressed the need for increased interactions with teachers and peers, and more support from teachers and school psychologists to address social and emotional needs during COVID-19. The findings emphasize the importance of protective factors such as authoritative parenting and positive student-teacher relationships on student well-being during the pandemic.