The Effect of College Students' Perceptions of Their Parents' Positive and Negative Parenting Attitudes on Their Academic Self-Efficacy: Exploring the Parallel Multiple Mediating Effects of Grit and Career Decision Self-Efficacy

Objectives This study aims to explore the role of grit and career decision self-efficacy as parallel multiple mediating effects in the relationship between college students' perceptions of their parents' positive and negative parenting attitudes and the students' own academic self-efficacy. Methods Data wear collected through online questionnaires administered to 409 college students at four-year universities across the nation, from October 15 to October 20, 2021. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and parallel multiple mediating effect models via the PROCESS macro, utilizing Bootstrap. Results The study subjects' academic self-efficacy was positively correlated with their parents' parenting attitudes (r=.256, p<.001), grit (r=.537, p<.001), and career decision self-efficacy (r=.567, p<.001). Upon examining the parallel multiple mediating effects of the sub-factors of parenting attitudes, the study confirmed that grit and career decision self-efficacy have a full mediating effect on the relationship between positive parenting attitudes and academic self-efficacy, and a partial mediating effect on the relationship between negative parenting attitudes and academic self-efficacy. Conclusions To boost the academic self-efficacy of college students and elevate their parents' parenting attitudes, grit, and career decision self-efficacy, schools need to develop a diverse range of curricular and extracurricular programs. Additionally, ongoing coordinated management between families and schools is essential.