Parental stress and children's school performance: Are locals doing better than rural-to-urban migrants in Beijing?

摘要

This study provides the first empirical evidence on whether parental stress is associated with children's school performance (measured by academic performance and peer relations) for rural-to-urban migrants (n = 499) and local residents (n = 299) in Beijing, China. Results from regression analyses showed that children of local families systematically scored better than those of migrants on measures of school performance. Correlation between parental stress and academic performance was found among locals but not among migrant households. Further, although children's peer relations were negatively associated with parental stress among migrant families, the duration of their residence in Beijing did not moderate this association. This study probed the structural origins of stressors for migrant parents and discussed implications for community-based social work services in urban China for migrant families.