Trajectory Patterns of Academic Self‐Efficacy, the Related Factors, and Anxiety Among Chinese College Students

The study was aimed at identifying the trajectory patterns of academic efficacy among Chinese college students, analyzing the factors related to different trajectory subgroups, and discussing the impact of different trajectory subgroups on anxiety symptoms. We used data from a 4‐year longitudinal survey of Chinese college students to collect students′ academic self‐efficacy and anxiety symptoms. Data analysis methods included the quadratic growth mixture model, the multinomial logistic regression model, and the Kruskal–Wallis test. The results showed that we identified three trajectory patterns of college students′ academic self‐efficacy: resilient (78.8%), growing (19.7%), and declining (1.5%). Gender, perceived health status, family social status, and family economic status were associated with different trajectory groups. In addition, the average scores of anxiety symptoms among different trajectory groups were significantly different, and the changes in anxiety subgroups showed an overall opposite trend to the academic self‐efficacy subgroups. Lastly, we believed that identifying trajectory groups of academic self‐efficacy and related factors of different subgroups was meaningful for educational reforms. In particular, educators should pay more attention to the academic self‐efficacy and mental health of students in the declining and growing groups.