To explore the relationship between positive parenting styles and academic emotions in junior high school students, as well as the chain mediation effects of parent-child communication and peer relationships, providing a theoretical basis for family education interventions.

Using stratified cluster random sampling, 1 063 students from four junior high schools in a city in Anhui Province were selected for questionnaire surveys, form March to April, 2025. Core variables were measured using the Short-form Parenting Style Scale, Adolescent Parent-Child Communication Scale, Peer Relationship Scale, and Adolescent Academic Emotion Questionnaire. Group comparison was conducted using t-test or analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between positive parenting styles, peer relationships, parent-child communication and positive academic emotions. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of positive parenting styles, peer relationships and parent-child communication on positive academic emotions. A mediation effect model and Bootstrap method were employed to test the chain mediation effects.

Students who were class leaders, had parents with higher education levels, or came from intact families scored significantly higher on positive academic emotions (t/F=7.23, 13.73, 10.67, 4.45, all P < 0.01). Positive parenting styles, peer relationships, and parent-child communication were all positively correlated with positive academic emotions (r=0.45, 0.41, 0.38), and all three positively predicted positive academic emotions (β=0.24, 0.23, 0.12) (all P < 0.01). Further analysis showed that positive parenting styles directly predicted positive academic emotions (β=0.40) and also indirectly influenced academic emotions through parent-child communication (β=0.07), peer relationships (β=0.05), and the chain mediation path of "parent-child communication → peer relationships" (β=0.04) (all P < 0.05), with the total indirect effect accounting for 40.55%.

Positive parenting styles enhance junior high school students' academic emotions through the chain mediation path of "parent-child communication → peer relationships", providing theoretical support for interventions within the educational ecosystem.