Subjective versus objective academic stress and academic beliefs among Chinese adolescents: Longitudinal associations at within‐person levels

BACKGROUND: Against the backdrop of examination-oriented education and intense academic competition, Chinese adolescents commonly experience high levels of academic stress. The impact of academic stress on their development has received increasing attention, making it important to investigate academic stress and its consequences. AIMS: The present study examined the bidirectional relationships between subjective and objective academic stress and academic beliefs. Based on expectancy-value theory, academic beliefs were understood from two aspects: academic confidence and academic intrinsic motivation. The study also explored differences in the effects of subjective versus objective academic stress. SAMPLE(S): = .532). METHODS: Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models were employed for analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that subjective academic stress significantly negatively predicted subsequent academic confidence and academic intrinsic motivation across time at the within-person level, whereas academic confidence and academic intrinsic motivation significantly negatively predicted subjective academic stress only from T3 to T4. Moreover, the bidirectional relationships involving objective academic stress were relatively unstable. Further difference tests revealed that the associations between subjective academic stress and academic beliefs were relatively stronger than those involving objective academic stress. CONCLUSIONS: These findings deepen the understanding of academic stress and expectancy-value theory in the Chinese context, offering practical insights for promoting adolescent development.