The impact of parenting styles on middle school students’ negative emotions: the mediating role of self-esteem

Purpose This study aims to explore the relationship and underlying mechanisms between middle school students' self-esteem, parenting styles, and negative emotions, providing a reference for effectively preventing and alleviating negative emotions among this demographic. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among students from the first to the third grade of high school in a province, utilizing the online Questionnaire Star platform alongside on-site surveys. A total of 4,483 valid questionnaires were collected. Questionnaires with missing values were excluded, resulting in a final sample of 4,340 questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 7.4 software, and a structural equation model was constructed to examine the relationships between self-esteem, parenting styles, and negative emotions. Results 1) Parental rejection and overprotection positively predict negative emotions; 2) Parental emotional warmth negatively predicts negative emotions; 3) Self-esteem serves as a partial mediator between parental emotional warmth, parental rejection, and negative emotions. Conclusion A parenting style characterized by rejection diminishes students' self-esteem, thereby increasing the level of negative emotions. Conversely, a parenting style characterized by emotional warmth enhances students' self-esteem, thereby reducing the level of negative emotions.