The Influence of Chinese Education on Adolescent Mental Health

College of Art and Design, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, 201620, China

^* Corresponding author: tiufe@ldy.edu.rs

Abstract

The mental health challenges among Chinese adolescents have become more and more important these days. Education plays a vital role in shaping their mental health during a critical development stage marked by self-exploration and changeable emotion. This paper will examine the cultural roots and the consequences of “authoritarian education” and “Suffering-Based Education”, which are two traditional pedagogical models characterized by excessive Chinese academic competition, and emotional suppression. Through literature analysis, the study reveals that such practices contribute to self-abasement, anxiety and depression. It further criticizes the contradictions between China’s exam-oriented education system and the evolving needs of modern society. To address these issues, the paper proposes school-level pedagogical innovations, and family communication strategies. By supporting a positive educational ecosystem that prioritizes students’ self-development, this research offers psychological sights of adolescents into the China’s current education system.