Objective   To explore the influence of parenting style and subjective well-being on health risk behaviors among junior high school students.

  Methods   We randomly selected 2 300 junior students in 8 high schools in three prefectures/municipality of Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangdong province and conducted a survey during October – December, 2018. Short Egna Minnen Barndoms Uppfostran Chinese Version (S-EMBU-C), and Adolescent Subjective Well-Being Scale and Adolescent Health-Related Risk Behavior Questionnaire complied by Chinese researchers were adopted in the study.

  Results   For the 2 089 students completing the survey, the proportions of reporting positive paternal and maternal parenting style were 61.17% and 64.07%, higher than the average level of 50.0%; the proportions of reporting paternal and maternal rejection were 41.04% and 41.37%, lower than the average level of 50.0%; and the proportions of reporting paternal and maternal over protection were 54.43% and 57.5%, slightly higher than the average level of 50.0%. There were 57.5% of the students reporting overall life satisfaction, higher than the average percentage of 50.0%. Among the students, the positive emotion score was 3.47, similar to the average score of 3.50; but the negative emotion score was 4.17, higher than the average score of 3.50. The mean score of health risk behaviors was 0.27, much lower than the critical value of 2. For the students, parenting style and subjective well-being could significantly predict health risk behaviors (P < 0.05) and subjective well-being plays a partial mediating role on the correlation between parenting style and health risk behaviors.

  Conclusion   Parenting style influences health risk behaviors through affecting subjective well-being among junior high school students.