The Family Journal, Ahead of Print.
Previous researchers have not explored the link between parents transferring unfulfilled ambitions onto children and parental burnout (PB). Using cross-sectional data and structural equation modeling analysis, the present study examined the mediating roles of parental perfectionism (PP) and extrinsic aspirations on the path from parents transferring unfulfilled ambitions to PB in a sample of 491 Vietnamese parents (mean age = 39.22, SD = 6.83 years). Participants completed a survey covering demographic information, transferring unfulfilled ambitions, PP, parental extrinsic aspirations, and PB. Our main findings showed that (i) parents transferring unfulfilled ambitions negatively correlated with PB and (ii) the indirect effects of PP and parental extrinsic aspirations were significant. These results suggest that parents transferring unfulfilled ambitions onto their child(ren) might serve as both a protective factor and a risk factor for parental burnout, depending on whether it stands alone or interacts with other elements. Additionally, our results highlight the urgency of creating prevention and intervention programs for PB from the perspective of PP and parental extrinsic aspirations and considering cultural specificities in research and practice on PB.