ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Anxiety and Academic Burnout in Migrant Children: A Chain Mediation Model of Positive Psychology and Self-Concept
Provisionally accepted
- 1Weifang University, Weifang, China
- 2Weifang Jinma School,, Weifang, China
- 3Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Mental Development and Learning Science, Urumqi, China
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Background: This study examined the impact of anxiety on academic burnout among migrant children who changed schools during the middle-to-upper primary grades. It further investigated the independent and sequential mediating roles of positive psychological capital and self-concept within this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 473 migrant children in grades 5 and 6. The Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS), Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PPQ), Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSS), and Adolescent Learning Burnout Inventory (ALBI) were administered. Data analysis included common method bias assessment, descriptive and correlational analyses, hierarchical regression, and bootstrap mediation analysis. Results: Anxiety showed a significant positive association with academic burnout. Both positive psychological capital and self-concept independently mediated this relationship. Furthermore, a significant chain-mediating effect was observed: anxiety was linked to lower positive psychological capital, which was associated with a weaker self-concept, ultimately contributing to higher levels of academic burnout. Conclusion: The findings suggest that internal protective resources play crucial roles in the link between anxiety and academic burnout among migrant children. Interventions aimed at reducing academic burnout may benefit from a dual focus on mitigating anxiety while proactively fostering positive psychological capital and a healthy self-concept.
Keywords: Academic burnout, Anxiety, Migrant children, Positive Psychology, self-concept
Received: 16 Dec 2025; Accepted: 28 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Ji, Wei, Zuo and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Miaomiao Wang
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