When Exhaustion Becomes Control: Parental Burnout, Psychological Intrusion, and the Resilience of Adolescents

When Exhaustion Becomes Control: Parental Burnout, Psychological Intrusion, and the Resilience of Adolescents | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article When Exhaustion Becomes Control: Parental Burnout, Psychological Intrusion, and the Resilience of Adolescents Yan-Bang Zhou, Ya-Ru Bu, Shun-Jie Ruan, Qing Bao This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6893715/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Parental burnout—a silent erosion of caregiving capacity—can leave emotional residues that are not always loud but often lasting. Unlike overt neglect or hostility, psychologically controlling parenting is a subtler, insidious form of harm that may go unnoticed but can significantly undermine adolescent mental health. Drawing on a large, multi-informant dataset of 2,336 Chinese parent–adolescent dyads, this study examines how parental burnout may spill over into adolescents’ internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, withdrawal) through psychologically controlling behaviors. Importantly, we identify psychological capital—a composite of hope, optimism, resilience, and efficacy—as a potential psychological firewall, buffering youth from the toxic spillover of parental stress. Structural equation modeling revealed that psychological control significantly mediated the effect of parental burnout on internalizing symptoms, and this indirect path was significantly weakened in adolescents with higher psychological capital. These findings offer a dual-process perspective: while family-level stress increases vulnerability, adolescent-level resilience can reduce susceptibility. We highlight the need for emotionally sustainable parenting and school-based interventions that build youth’s psychological defenses in high-stress family environments. Biological sciences/Psychology Biological sciences/Psychology/Human behaviour parental burnout internalizing problems psychological control psychological capital parent-adolescent dyads Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 1. Introduction It often begins subtly: a missed bedtime story here, a sigh of frustration during homework there. Many parents can recall moments when the joy of parenting is overshadowed by relentless obligations—school drop-offs, meals to cook, emotional crises to manage—all unfolding without pause. In today’s fast-paced, resource-strained world, parenting has become an unrelenting task that frequently leaves caregivers feeling physically drained and emotionally spent. Far from being passive protectors, parents are active emotional regulators for their children, yet they themselves often lack the support systems needed to sustain this role. From the earliest stages of a child’s life, parents are exposed to a continuous stream of demands, ranging from daily hassles (e.g., managing routines, negotiating screen time) to chronic stressors (e.g., developmental disorders, behavioral challenges) (Crnic & Low, 2002; Mikolajczak, Gross, & Roskam, 2020). When such demands are not met with adequate personal, familial, or institutional support, parents become vulnerable to parental burnout—a psychological syndrome specific to parenting, characterized by persistent emotional depletion and loss of fulfillment in the parental role (Roskam, Brianda, & Mikolajczak, 2018 ). Parental burnout is commonly understood to involve four interrelated dimensions, each of which manifests in tangible ways in family life. The first is emotional exhaustion—parents may find themselves mentally depleted by even the smallest of tasks, such as preparing breakfast or helping with homework, and often report persistent fatigue, insomnia, or even crying episodes in isolation. The second dimension is a loss of parental identity. Once confident and engaged, parents may begin to see themselves as failures, comparing their current selves with a past version who once felt competent, patient, and emotionally available. The third dimension reflects a sense of disillusionment with the parenting role—what once felt meaningful now feels obligatory or even burdensome. For example, a parent may no longer look forward to family outings or birthdays, instead feeling dread or detachment. Finally, emotional distancing occurs when burned-out parents, overwhelmed and resentful, begin to withdraw emotionally, speaking less to their children, avoiding eye contact, or no longer initiating physical affection, such as hugs or bedtime stories. While prior research has made commendable progress in identifying risk factors that contribute to parental burnout—such as neuroticism, child temperament, and family functioning (Furutani et al., 2020; Mikolajczak, Raes et al., 2018 )—much less is known about what happens next: What does parental burnout mean for the developing adolescent on the receiving end? This is not a trivial question. Adolescence, particularly its early stages, is a developmentally sensitive period marked by increased emotional lability and vulnerability to stress (Lee et al., 2014 ). When the adults they rely on for safety and emotional regulation are themselves depleted, adolescents may experience profound psychological impacts that are still poorly understood in the literature. Studying these dynamics not only deepens our theoretical understanding of family systems under stress, but also offers urgently needed insights for designing early interventions that promote youth resilience. It is within this framework of theoretical curiosity and applied urgency that the present study is situated. 1.1. Parental Burnout and Internalizing Problems in Adolescents AdolescenParental burnout does not occur in isolation—it is embedded within the parent-child relational system, where emotional availability, behavioral consistency, and regulatory support are central to adolescent development. As parents become emotionally depleted and disengaged, their ability to serve as reliable emotional regulators diminishes, increasing adolescents’ vulnerability to internalizing problems, such as anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and somatic complaints. Although research on parental burnout has largely focused on its antecedents—such as neuroticism, family dysfunction, and caring for high-needs children (Mikolajczak, Raes et al., 2018 ; Lebert-Charron et al., 2018)—less is known about how such burnout may influence children’s emotional development. The few studies that do explore this impact often rely on parent-reported outcomes and emphasize externalizing behaviors such as neglect and violence. For instance, Mikolajczak, Brianda, et al. ( 2018 ), in a large-scale study of 1551 parents, found that burnout was strongly associated with self-reported abusive and neglectful behaviors. Longitudinal, cross-lagged studies have confirmed this effect across cultural contexts, showing that parental burnout predicts increased risk of child maltreatment over time (Mikolajczak, Gross, & Roskam, 2021 ). Yet internalizing consequences—those that manifest within the adolescent’s emotional world—may be equally, if not more, concerning. Parental burnout may subtly reshape the family emotional climate, reducing warmth, responsiveness, and empathic attunement. These relational ruptures, in turn, disrupt adolescents’ sense of security and emotional stability, potentially leading to sustained psychological distress. Cross-sectional findings support this view: parental burnout has been significantly associated with adolescent loneliness (Cheng et al., 2020 ) and anxiety (Wang et al., 2021 ). More decisively, longitudinal evidence suggests a causal trajectory: in a study of 442 Chinese parent-adolescent dyads, Yang et al. ( 2021 ) found that parental burnout predicted adolescents’ depressive and anxious symptoms two months later. Similarly, Chen et al. ( 2021 ) found that maternal burnout influenced adolescents’ perception of parental hostility, which mediated the development of later internalizing problems. Taken together, these findings suggest that parental burnout may serve as an upstream emotional stressor, setting in motion a sequence of relational disruptions and regulatory failures that culminate in adolescent internalizing symptoms. Understanding this process is critical not only for family psychology theory but also for designing timely interventions that buffer youth against parental emotional disengagement. 1.2. Psychological Control as a Potential Mechanism Psychological One plausible pathway through which parental burnout may affect adolescents’ internalizing problems is via changes in parenting practices—particularly the increased use of psychologically controlling behaviors. In this process, emotional exhaustion leads parents to rely more heavily on intrusive and manipulative tactics, which in turn undermine the adolescent’s psychological needs and foster emotional distress. Psychological control refers to parental behaviors that intrude into the emotional and cognitive world of the child, manipulating thoughts, feelings, and decision-making to align with parental standards (Barber & Harmon, 2002). Unlike behavioral control—which sets clear external expectations—psychological control is coercive, guilt-inducing, and emotionally invasive (Barber et al., 2006 ). For example, a burned-out parent might respond to a child’s disagreement not with discussion, but with statements such as, “After everything I’ve done for you, how can you be so selfish?” or, “You’ve really disappointed me.” Over time, these tactics erode the child’s sense of autonomy and internal worth. Emotionally depleted parents often lack the patience and regulatory capacity to engage in warm, supportive parenting. Studies have found that burnout is associated with a greater tendency to withdraw, criticize, or manipulate children emotionally (Mikolajczak et al., 2019 ; De Haan et al., 2013 ; Rousseau et al., 2013 ). These parents may resort to emotional blackmail, invalidation of the child’s perspective, or excessive guilt induction—all of which restrict the child’s ability to think and feel independently. From the perspective of Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000, 2017 ), such psychologically controlling practices frustrate three core psychological needs: autonomy (feeling in control of one’s actions), competence (feeling effective), and relatedness (feeling emotionally connected to others). When these needs go unmet, adolescents experience emotional strain, identity confusion, and heightened vulnerability to anxiety and depression (Soenens & Vansteenkiste, 2010 ; Mabbe et al., 2019 ). A growing body of empirical research supports this mechanism: psychologically controlling parenting has been shown to predict a range of internalizing outcomes—including anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal—across different cultures and age groups (Mckee et al., 2008; Stone et al., 2013 ; Gugliandolo et al., 2015). Taken together, these findings suggest that parental burnout may not only impact adolescents directly, but also indirectly by increasing the likelihood that parents adopt emotionally manipulative strategies, which in turn undermine adolescents’ psychological well-being. 1.3. Adolescents' Psychological Capital as a Moderator Psychological Not all adolescents exposed to parental burnout or psychologically controlling parenting develop internalizing problems. A key reason lies in the variability of adolescents’ internal psychological resources, which enable some to adapt more successfully than others. Among these, psychological capital (PsyCap)—a higher-order construct composed of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism—has been recognized as a dynamic, state-like capacity that equips adolescents to manage adversity (Luthans, Avolio, & Youssef, 2007; Luthans et al., 2006). From the adolescent’s perspective, parental burnout and psychological control introduce developmental threats that undermine their sense of predictability, emotional safety, and personal agency. These experiences can destabilize their self-worth and elicit chronic stress responses. Psychological capital functions as a personal reservoir that adolescents draw upon to buffer these negative effects. For example, hope helps them envision alternative futures, self-efficacy motivates active coping, resilience sustains effort during hardship, and optimism maintains positive expectations despite setbacks. These components collectively foster a sense of control and meaning even in emotionally strained family environments. Empirical studies consistently show that adolescents with high PsyCap are better equipped to regulate their emotions, maintain academic engagement, and preserve mental well-being, even under considerable family stress (Fan et al., 2017 ; Yang et al., 2014 ). PsyCap can act as a protective-stabilizing or protective-enhancing factor (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005 ), buffering the harmful consequences of environmental risks such as parental conflict, neglect, or emotional disengagement. When adolescents face parenting marked by burnout and control, those with high psychological capital may reinterpret, reframe, or disengage from the emotional impact of parental dysfunction, thereby preserving their emotional boundaries. Conversely, adolescents with low PsyCap may absorb distress more deeply, increasing the risk of anxiety, depression, and identity confusion. As reciprocal determinism suggests (Lerner et al., 2006 ), youth development arises from the continuous interaction between environmental adversity and internal protective strengths. Accordingly, psychological capital not only mitigates the direct impact of parental burnout, but may also attenuate the indirect effects transmitted via psychologically controlling parenting. In this way, PsyCap does not eliminate risk but shapes how risk is experienced, empowering adolescents to transform potentially damaging family dynamics into challenges that can be met with active, resilient coping. 2. Current Study Family relationships are the crucibles in which adolescent psychological resilience is forged—or fractured. In the context of rising public concern over youth mental health, particularly in fast-changing societies like China where parental stressors have intensified, understanding how parental burnout affects adolescent adjustment is not merely an academic exercise but a social imperative. Previous research has often fragmented this question into discrete associations—parental burnout predicts adolescent depression; psychological control leads to anxiety. Yet, what remains underexplored is how these forces interact systemically within the family ecology: how the emotional depletion of parents reshapes relational behaviors, and how adolescents’ internal psychological resources either buffer or succumb to these shifting dynamics. This study seeks to address this gap by constructing a multi-level, moderated mediation model that captures the dynamic interplay between parental burnout, psychologically controlling parenting, and adolescents’ internalizing problems, while also highlighting the protective function of adolescent psychological capital. More than mapping a path diagram, the study frames a broader question: "When the emotional atmosphere of the family turns cold, what shields the adolescent’s mind from freezing?" Using a dyadic sample of Chinese families, we integrate parent-reported and adolescent-reported data to provide a nuanced, cross-perspective understanding of family-based emotional transmission. By identifying not only what harms but what heals, this study aims to inform future psychological interventions, parenting programs, and policy efforts centered on youth well-being. The conceptual model is illustrated in Fig. 2 . Figure 1 further outlines the theoretical protective patterns guiding the current moderated mediation framework. 3. Method 3.1. Participants A total of 2,236 parent–adolescent dyads from mainland China participated in this study. The majority of parents were mothers (91.5%), with a mean age of 39.96 years ( SD = 4.55). Adolescents were evenly distributed by sex (48.7% female), with a mean age of 12.69 years ( SD = 0.36). All participating adolescents were enrolled in the seventh grade across multiple junior high schools in urban and suburban districts. Families were eligible to participate if (a) the adolescent lived with at least one parent, (b) both parent and adolescent were willing to participate, and (c) no developmental disabilities or severe physical/mental illness were reported in either party. Cases with missing data exceeding 20% on any scale were excluded from the final analysis. Detailed demographic information is presented in Table 1 . Table 1 Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations between variables (N = 2236) M ( SD ) Skewness Kurtosis 1 2 3 C. gender C. age P. gender P. age Edu. Job FT NOC 1.PB 1.30(1.01) 1.04 0.74 – –.08 ** –.01 .01 –.06 ** –.18 ** –.07 ** .05 * .12 ** 2.Psy. Con. 2.24(0.85) 0.89 0.39 .19 ** – –.01 .04 * –.02 .05 * –.03 .04 .04 .04 3.INT 0.28(0.26) 1.33 1.72 .15 ** .381 ** – .10 ** .04 .01 .07 ** .03 .10 ** .06 ** –.02 4.Psy. Cap. 4.81(1.15) –0.34 –0.38 –.16 ** –.10 ** –.32 ** –.05 * –.04 .01 .02 .15 ** .01 –.04 –.06 ** Note . PB = parental burnout, Psy. Con = psychological control, INT = internalizing problems, Psy. Cap = psychological capital, C. gender = children’s gender (i.e., 0 = male, 1 = female), C. age = children’s age, P. gender = parents’ gender (i.e., 0 = male, 1 = female), P. age = parents’ age, Edu. = parents’ education attainment, Job = job type (i.e., 0 = no work, 1 = part-time job, 2 = full-time job), FT = family type (0 = two parents biological families, 1 = single parent families, 2 = remarried families), NOC = number of children; * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. 3.2. Procedure Ethical approval (IRB No. HR2021-08-001) granted by the Institutional Review Board of Teacher Education at Ningxia University, a stratified sampling approach was employed to recruit families through collaboration with junior high schools. Informed consent was obtained from both parents and adolescents, with parental consent serving as legal authorization for adolescent participation. To ensure anonymity and reduce social desirability bias, all participants were assured that their responses would be kept confidential and used solely for academic research. All methods were carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations, including the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. A total of 2,500 questionnaires were distributed to adolescent–parent pairs. Adolescents completed their self-report questionnaires in classroom settings during school hours under the supervision of trained graduate students in psychology. Parents completed their portion of the survey independently at home and returned the completed forms through their children to designated homeroom teachers the following day. The final response rate was 89.4%. The survey booklet included matched but anonymous codes for parent and adolescent forms to ensure dyadic data linkage. 3.3. Measures Parental Burnout. Parental burnout was assessed using the Chinese version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) developed by Roskam et al. ( 2018 ) and validated in Chinese samples (Cheng et al., 2020 ). The 23-item scale measures four core dimensions: emotional exhaustion (e.g., “I feel completely rundown by my role as a parent”), contrast with previous parental self (e.g., “I’m ashamed of the parent that I’ve become”), saturation (e.g., “I cannot take being a parent anymore”), and emotional distancing (e.g., “I’m no longer able to show my child how much I love them”). Items were rated on a 7-point Likert scale (0 = “never” to 6 = “daily”). A mean score was calculated, with higher scores indicating greater parental burnout. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = .94). Psychological Control. Adolescents reported their perceived psychological control using an 18-item scale developed by Wang, Pomerantz, and Chen ( 2007 ), previously validated in Chinese cultural contexts (e.g., Xing et al., 2017; Xu et al., 2020 ). The scale comprises three dimensions: guilt induction (10 items; e.g., “My parents tell me I should feel guilty when I do not meet their expectations”), love withdrawal (5 items; e.g., “If I do something my parents don’t like, they become cold and distant”), and authority assertion (3 items; e.g., “My parents insist that what they want me to do is best, and I should not question them”). Adolescents rated each item on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “not at all true” to 5 = “very true”). A mean score across all items was computed, with higher values reflecting higher perceived psychological control (α = .91). Internalizing Problems. Adolescents’ internalizing symptoms were assessed using the Chinese version of the Youth Self Report (YSR) developed by Achenbach ( 1991 ). The internalizing problems index comprises three subscales: anxious/depressed (15 items; e.g., “I worry a lot”; α = .87), withdrawn (8 items; e.g., “I’d rather be alone than with anyone else”; α = .84), and somatic complaints (9 items; e.g., “I have nightmares”; α = .83). Responses were given on a 3-point scale (0 = “not at all,” 1 = “a little,” 2 = “a lot”). The mean score across all 32 items was calculated, with higher scores indicating more severe internalizing problems. Psychological Capital. Adolescents’ psychological capital was measured using a 26-item scale developed by Zhang, Zhang, and Dong ( 2010 ), based on the theoretical framework of Luthans, Youssef, and Avolio ( 2007 ). The scale captures four components: self-efficacy (7 items; e.g., “I have confidence in my ability”), resilience (7 items; e.g., “I bounce back quickly when I encounter setbacks”), hope (6 items; e.g., “I’m working hard to achieve my goals”), and optimism (6 items; e.g., “I always look on the bright side of things”). Participants responded on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = “strongly disagree” to 7 = “strongly agree”). The mean of all items was computed, with higher scores indicating stronger psychological capital (α = .91). This scale has been widely used with Chinese adolescent populations (e.g., Wang et al., 2017 ; Xiong et al., 2020 ). Demographic variables. Parents reported their gender, age, educational level, employment status (full-time, part-time, unemployed), family structure (two-parent biological, single-parent, remarried), and number of children. Adolescents reported their gender and age. These variables were included as covariates in all analyses given their potential associations with key outcomes, as suggested by prior studies (e.g., Cheng, 2020; Mikolajczak & Raes et al., 2018 ; Roskam et al., 2018 ). 3.4. Data Analyses First, we examined the basic associations between parental burnout and adolescents’ internalizing problems using SPSS 25.0. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regressions were conducted. Scale scores were computed as the mean across each measure. Demographic variables were included as covariates, including adolescents’ gender and age, parents’ gender and age, parental education, family type, and the number of children. To ensure precision in dyadic matching, when parental burnout was reported by the mother, we used the adolescent’s report of maternal psychological control; when reported by the father, we used the corresponding paternal psychological control score reported by the adolescent. Second, we tested the mediating role of psychologically controlling parenting in the relationship between parental burnout and adolescent internalizing problems, using structural equation modeling (SEM) in Mplus 7.4 (Muthén & Muthén, 2017 ). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was first conducted to confirm the adequacy of the measurement model following the guidelines of Byrne ( 2011 ). Then, we tested structural models including: (a) a direct path from parental burnout to internalizing problems, and (b) an indirect path via psychological control. The indirect effect was evaluated using bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 samples (MacKinnon, 2011 ). Mediation was considered significant if the 95% confidence interval ( CI ) for the indirect effect did not contain zero (Erceghurn & Mirosevich, 2008). Model fit was assessed using multiple indices: the Chi-square statistic (χ²), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR). Acceptable fit was defined as CFI and TLI > .90, RMSEA and SRMR .95, RMSEA < .06, and SRMR < .08 (Hu & Bentler, 1999 ; Kline, 2015 ). Third, we examined whether adolescents’ psychological capital moderated the direct and indirect pathways using a Latent Moderated Structural Equations (LMS) approach (Klein & Moosbrugger, 2000 ; Maslowsky, Jager, & Hemken, 2015 ) implemented in Mplus 7.4. This approach does not require manual construction of interaction terms and provides robust estimates for latent variable interactions. Model fit comparisons were conducted using the log-likelihood difference test (Δ–2LL) to compare: Model 1: mediation model with only main effects Model 2: moderated mediation model including latent interaction terms (burnout × PsyCap; control × PsyCap) A significant Δ–2LL supports the inclusion of latent moderation effects (Sun et al., 2015). Simple slope analyses were used to visualize the nature of significant interactions by testing model estimates at high (+ 1 SD ) and low (–1 SD ) levels of psychological capital (Kelava et al., 2011 ). All analyses were conducted using maximum likelihood (ML) estimation. This estimator is robust under moderate violations of normality (skewness < 2; kurtosis < 7) (West, Finch & Curran, 1995 ; Finney & DiStefano, 2013 ). Missing data were evaluated using Little’s MCAR test, which indicated data were missing completely at random: χ²(67,626) = 81,339.85, p < .001. The Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm was applied for missing data imputation (Schafer, 1997 ). All structural models controlled for demographic covariates to ensure the robustness of effects. 3.5. Data Availability The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to participant confidentiality, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. 4. Results 4.1. Descriptive Statistics and Correlations Table 1 reports the descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations among all major study variables. Several key patterns emerged that provide initial support for the hypothesized relationships. First, higher levels of parental burnout were significantly associated with greater psychological control as perceived by adolescents, and with elevated internalizing problems among adolescents. These results suggest that when parents feel emotionally exhausted, disengaged, or dissatisfied in their parenting role, adolescents are more likely to experience intrusive parenting and emotional distress. Second, adolescents who perceived higher levels of psychologically controlling parenting reported significantly more internalizing symptoms, including anxiety, withdrawal, and somatic complaints. This supports the proposed mediating role of psychological control in the association between parental burnout and youth outcomes. Third, adolescents' psychological capital was negatively correlated with internalizing problems, indicating a protective role. Higher levels of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism were associated with fewer emotional difficulties. Fourth, several demographic variables showed meaningful associations with key constructs. Girls reported higher internalizing problems than boys, while boys scored higher on psychological capital. Older adolescents perceived more psychological control from parents. Parents of boys reported greater burnout. Fifth, parental age and education were negatively correlated with parental burnout and positively related to both psychological control and adolescents’ psychological capital. Parents with more children reported more burnout. Youth from one-child families had higher levels of psychological capital. Two-parent biological families showed lower levels of parental burnout and adolescent internalizing symptoms. Additionally, parental employment status was significantly associated with both burnout and adolescent outcomes. Together, these correlations suggest meaningful links among parental burnout, parenting style, adolescent resilience, and emotional adjustment, providing a strong rationale for subsequent modeling analyses. 4.2. Parental Burnout and Internalizing Problems in Early Adolescents The first analysis examined whether parental burnout significantly predicted internalizing problems among early adolescents. A hierarchical linear regression was conducted, entering demographic covariates in the first step—including adolescents' gender, parental age, parental job type, and family structure—and parental burnout in the second step. The results indicated that higher levels of parental burnout were significantly associated with greater internalizing symptoms in adolescents (β = 0.173, t = 8.35, p < .001), even after controlling for relevant covariates. This finding supports the hypothesis that parental psychological exhaustion and detachment contribute to youth emotional distress, underscoring the developmental consequences of burnout within the family context. 4.3. The Mediating Role of Psychological Control in the Relationships Between Parental Burnout and Adolescents' Internalizing Problems Before testing the mediation hypothesis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to validate the measurement model, which included four latent constructs: parental burnout (indicated by emotional exhaustion, emotional distancing, contrast with previous parental self, and parental fed-up feelings), psychological control (indicated by guilt induction, authority assertion, and love withdrawal), internalizing problems (indicated by anxious/depressed, withdrawn, and somatic complaints), and psychological capital (indicated by self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, and hope). The CFA results indicated a good model fit: χ²(70) = 271.33, CFI = 0.989, TLI = 0.985, SRMR = 0.026, RMSEA = 0.036, 90% CI [0.031, 0.040]. All standardized factor loadings were statistically significant ( ps < .001), as shown in Table 2 . Table 2 The standardized load of each index on the factor Variables Beta SE t β Parental burnout Exhaustion 0.90 0.02 49.07 0.85 *** Contrast 1.08 0.02 55.36 0.92 *** Feelings 0.93 0.02 51.69 0.88 *** Distancing 0.97 0.02 45.19 0.81 *** Psychological control Guilt induction 0.80 0.02 49.97 0.91 *** Authority assertion 0.67 0.02 37.91 0.74 *** Love withdrawal 0.86 0.02 38.70 0.75 *** Internalizing problems Anxious/Depressed 0.26 0.01 42.92 0.81 *** Withdrawn 0.18 0.01 33.82 0.67 *** Somatic complaints 0.29 0.01 50.91 0.92 *** Psychological capital Self-efficacy 0.99 0.02 42.66 0.79 *** Resilience 1.22 0.04 35.01 0.71 *** Hope 1.11 0.02 48.20 0.88 *** Optimism 1.04 0.02 43.73 0.80 *** Note : exhaustion = exhaustion in one’s parental role, contrast = contrast with previous parental self, feelings = feelings of being fed up with one’s parental role, distancing = emotional distancing from one’s children; *** p < 0.001. Correlational analyses between latent constructs (Table 3 ) revealed that parental burnout was positively associated with both psychological control and internalizing problems. Psychological control was also positively correlated with internalizing problems. In contrast, psychological capital was negatively associated with all three constructs, supporting the expected protective function of psychological capital in adolescent adjustment. Table 3 Correlations among latent variables 1 2 3 1.PB - 2.Psy. Con. 0.21 *** - 3.INT 0.17 *** 0.42 *** - 4.Psy. Cap. –0.19 *** –0.10 *** –0.36 *** Note : The standardized coefficients were shown; PB = parental burnout, Psy. Con = psychological control, INT = internalizing problems, Psy. Cap = psychological capital; *** p < 0.001. To test the mediation model, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted. In the first step, the direct effect of parental burnout on adolescents’ internalizing problems was tested after controlling for covariates (i.e., adolescents' gender, parental age, job type, and family structure). The model demonstrated good fit: χ²(45) = 120.15, CFI = 0.992, TLI = 0.989, SRMR = 0.013, RMSEA = 0.027, 90% CI [0.021, 0.033]. Parental burnout significantly predicted adolescents’ internalizing symptoms (β = 0.194, 95% CI [0.150, 0.243], p < .001). In the second step, psychological control was added as a mediator. The model also exhibited excellent fit: χ²(90) = 236.93, CFI = 0.989, TLI = 0.986, SRMR = 0.019, RMSEA = 0.027, 90% CI [0.023, 0.031]. As illustrated in Fig. 3 , the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing problems via psychological control was significant (β = 0.092, 95% CI [0.069, 0.118], p < .001), as was the direct effect (β = 0.122, 95% CI [0.074, 0.171], p < .001). These results suggest a partial mediation, indicating that psychologically controlling parenting partially explains the pathway through which parental burnout influences adolescents’ internalizing outcomes. Hypothesis 2 was thus supported. 4.4. Adolescent Psychological Capital's Moderating Role in the Association Between Parental Burnout and Adolescents’ Internalizing Problems To examine whether adolescent psychological capital moderated the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing problems via psychological control, we first tested a baseline mediation model including the main effects of all variables (Model 1). The model showed good fit: χ²(158) = 623.34, CFI = 0.974, TLI = 0.969, SRMR = 0.047, RMSEA = 0.036, 90% CI [0.033, 0.039]. Next, in Model 2, we introduced interaction terms between latent variables (i.e., Parental Burnout × Psychological Capital and Psychological Control × Psychological Capital) based on the LMS (Latent Moderated Structural Equations) framework. Model fit was assessed using the log-likelihood ratio test. Compared with Model 1 (LogL = − 31293.48), Model 2 with interaction terms (LogL = − 31288.36) showed a significantly better fit, LR = 10.24, Δ df = 2, p < .01, supporting the inclusion of moderating effects. Further path estimates indicated that adolescent psychological capital significantly moderated the effect of psychological control on internalizing problems (β = −0.141, p .05, 95% CI [− 0.019, 0.054]) (see Fig. 4 ). Thus, psychological capital moderated the latter stage of the mediation process, partially supporting Hypothesis 3. To further probe this moderation, we conducted a simple slope analysis. For adolescents with high psychological capital (+ 1 SD ), the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing problems via psychological control was reduced (indirect effect = 0.044, p < .001, 95% CI [0.028, 0.059]). In contrast, for adolescents with low psychological capital (− 1 SD ), the indirect effect was significantly stronger (indirect effect = 0.108, p < .001, 95% CI [0.081, 0.135]). As illustrated in Fig. 5 , psychologically controlling parenting predicted more internalizing symptoms in adolescents with lower psychological capital, but this relationship was substantially attenuated among those with higher psychological capital. In sum, while parental burnout increased adolescents’ internalizing symptoms through psychologically controlling parenting, this indirect effect was significantly buffered by adolescent psychological capital. These findings highlight the protective role of psychological capital as a resilience factor in adverse parenting contexts. 5. Discussion Parental burnout—a chronic and emotionally taxing state stemming from overwhelming parental demands—has emerged as a significant factor shaping the emotional well-being of children and adolescents (Mikolajczak et al., 2019 ). This study sheds light on how such burnout influences early adolescents' internalizing problems through psychologically controlling parenting, and how adolescents' own psychological capital can buffer this effect. Drawing from a large-scale paired parent–adolescent sample, the findings delineate a nuanced mechanism and reveal the dual pathway of vulnerability and resilience that operates in families. 5.1. Parental Burnout and Adolescents’ Internalizing Problems In line with prior research, the results confirmed that higher levels of parental burnout were significantly associated with greater internalizing problems in early adolescents (Arbel et al., 2020 ; Yang et al., 2021 ; Kochanova et al., 2021 ). This supports the view that emotionally exhausted parents are less likely to offer the warmth, stability, and autonomy support essential to healthy adolescent development. The silent and invisible nature of burnout—often manifested in emotional withdrawal rather than overt hostility—can lead to an emotionally barren family climate, where adolescents feel unsupported and misunderstood. Rather than occasional conflict, the persistent emotional unavailability may generate chronic psychological insecurity in youth. 5.2. Psychological Control as a Mediator Our findings further underscore that psychological control mediates the link between parental burnout and adolescents’ internalizing problems. This aligns with Deater-Deckard’s ( 2004 ) model positing that parental stress is transmitted to children through distorted parenting practices. When burned out, parents may unwittingly use guilt, love withdrawal, or authority imposition as coping strategies to maintain family order or regulate their own emotional instability (Cui et al., 2021 ; Rousseau et al., 2013 ). While prior studies focus on neglect or harshness as outcomes of burnout (Mikolajczak, Raes, et al., 2018 ), our findings highlight more covert forms of emotional coercion. This contributes to self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000, 2017 ), suggesting that psychological control undermines adolescents' basic need for autonomy, thus exacerbating internalizing symptoms. 5.3. Psychological Capital as a Moderator Importantly, adolescents’ psychological capital moderated the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing symptoms via psychological control. Adolescents with higher psychological capital—comprising hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy—were less affected by controlling parenting. This finding echoes the stress-buffering model (Cohen & Wills, 1985) and resilience literature (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005 ), emphasizing how internal strengths can reframe external stressors. Notably, this moderation effect did not extend to the direct path between parental burnout and adolescent symptoms, possibly because adolescents are less aware of their parents' internal states compared to observable behaviors. Thus, while psychological capital shields adolescents from emotionally invasive parenting, it may be less effective against more latent familial stress. 5.4. Theoretical and Methodological Contributions This study makes several theoretical contributions. First, it integrates parental burnout into the broader framework of developmental psychopathology, bridging family stress theory with self-determination and resilience models. Second, it illustrates a dual-process model—stress as risk and capital as protection—thus advancing conceptual understanding of how adolescents navigate adverse parenting environments. Methodologically, this research used a large dyadic sample and latent variable modeling, enhancing measurement precision and ecological validity. It also provides evidence from non-Western contexts, expanding the cultural lens through which family stress is examined. 5.5. General Reflection: Data, Depth, and Social Relevance Collecting data from over 2,000 parent–child dyads—most from ordinary urban and rural schools—was not just statistically valuable but sociologically revealing. These families represent real-world parenting scenarios, many struggling with invisible burdens yet functioning silently. The findings offer not just statistical patterns, but windows into daily emotional climates that shape adolescent minds. We believe research like this should not only identify problems but also guide social insight. In a world where “parenting pressure” is normalized and rarely questioned, documenting burnout and its intergenerational echoes becomes both an academic and ethical undertaking. 5.6. Practical Recommendations: Toward Emotionally Sustainable Parenting From a policy and practice standpoint, the study offers clear avenues for prevention and intervention: Parental burnout screening should be integrated into school-family communication systems, allowing early identification of high-risk caregivers before dysfunctional patterns manifest. Parenting programs should shift focus from behavioral compliance to emotional sustainability, offering tools to manage parental exhaustion and avoid control-based strategies. Adolescent psychological capital interventions (PCI) should be developed and scaled in school-based curricula (Luthans & Youssef, 2004; Song et al., 2019 ), including guided visualization, emotional reframing, and goal-directed planning modules. Dual-pathway interventions—targeting both parental stress and adolescent strengths—may be particularly effective. Strengthening one side without addressing the other is likely to produce limited, short-term gains. By promoting emotional sustainability in families and building inner resources in youth, we can move toward a more resilient developmental ecology. 5.7. General Reflection and Practical Strategies By integrating multi-informant dyadic data with structural modeling, this study advances an explanatory model of how family stress—manifested as parental burnout—can undermine adolescent psychological adjustment via psychologically controlling parenting. Crucially, the study also highlights the protective function of adolescents' psychological capital, offering a nuanced account of how internal psychological resources can moderate the impact of familial stressors. The scope and structure of this work are particularly relevant in today’s post-pandemic context, where families are experiencing intensified caregiving demands and emotional strain. Beyond confirming prior associations, this study repositions adolescents as active agents who can reframe and buffer the emotional tone of family life. Psychological capital—comprising hope, optimism, efficacy, and resilience—functions not merely as a personality trait but as an internal psychological firewall, helping youth preserve autonomy and emotional stability under parenting conditions characterized by psychological control. In contrast to overt forms of maltreatment, psychological control is subtle and pervasive, often operating beneath conscious awareness. Our findings thus call for heightened attention to such insidious forms of parental behavior, especially when rooted in caregiver exhaustion. In terms of broader implications, the study illustrates the bidirectional nature of family emotional dynamics. While parental burnout may drive controlling parenting behaviors, adolescents' internal resources can modulate how these behaviors are interpreted and internalized. This reinforces the need to move beyond unidirectional, parent-centered models of family risk, and to design family interventions that empower both sides of the dyad. 5.8. Practical Implications: Toward Emotionally Sustainable Parenting Drawing on the findings above, we propose a dual-path intervention framework: one that simultaneously alleviates parental burnout and strengthens adolescents' psychological capital. Specifically: Early identification and prevention: Educational institutions and pediatric clinics should screen for signs of parental burnout and refer high-risk families to supportive services. Early intervention may prevent the escalation of emotionally controlling parenting behaviors that damage adolescent autonomy. Youth-focused resilience programs: Adolescents may benefit from psychological capital interventions (PCI) involving cognitive-behavioral training, strength-based goal setting, and emotional reframing. Such programs—often delivered in school settings—can help youth develop adaptive coping mechanisms in response to family stress. Parenting psychoeducation: Programs should explicitly address the hidden costs of psychological control. Through empathy-based training, reflective parenting sessions, and feedback loops, parents can learn autonomy-supportive strategies that reduce reliance on guilt induction or emotional withdrawal, especially when burned out. Together, these strategies promote a family ecosystem where both caregiver well-being and adolescent resilience are recognized as co-dependent variables. Addressing either side in isolation risks overlooking the complex interdependencies that shape youth mental health. As such, emotionally sustainable parenting should become a shared public health goal, especially in contexts of prolonged stress or resource scarcity. 6. Conclusions This study sheds light on a nuanced and often overlooked pathway through which parental burnout may affect adolescent mental health: not through direct harm, but through the subtle erosion of autonomy caused by psychologically controlling parenting. By integrating stress-process theory with the positive psychological framework of resilience, we demonstrate that the negative impact of parental burnout is not inevitable—it is mediated, and critically, it is conditionally buffered. The identification of psychological capital as a moderating resource adds a crucial layer to existing theories of adolescent adaptation. Adolescents are not mere recipients of family stress; they are active meaning-makers who possess internal resources to reframe and resist harmful dynamics. Our findings suggest that strengthening such resources may be just as important as reducing parental strain when it comes to promoting adolescent well-being. Beyond the academic contribution, this research calls for a redefinition of what "parental harm" looks like in modern families. Psychological control, shaped by parental fatigue, can be as corrosive as overt neglect. Therefore, strategies to support family functioning must focus not only on reducing parental exhaustion but also on promoting emotionally sustainable parenting and enhancing adolescents’ inner resilience. In short, when the home becomes emotionally unstable, youth need not be defenseless. Empowering adolescents with psychological tools is not only a therapeutic goal—it is a social imperative. Declarations Author Contribution Yan-Bang Zhou: Conceived and designed the study; supervised the data collection and analysis; drafted the manuscript and led the revisions; coordinated the submission process.Ya-Ru Bu: Contributed to data analysis and interpretation; assisted in writing and revising the manuscript, particularly the methods and results sections.Shun-Jie Ruan: Participated in data collection and preprocessing; contributed to literature review and manuscript formatting; reviewed and approved the final version.Qing Bao (corresponding author): Oversaw the overall study design and quality control; provided critical revisions and theoretical integration; managed reviewer response and finalized the manuscript for submission. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6893715","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":493436891,"identity":"00e5c9b4-f635-4dba-899a-d938b65dc664","order_by":0,"name":"Yan-Bang Zhou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lanzhou University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yan-Bang","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhou","suffix":""},{"id":493436892,"identity":"e13fb85e-ef2a-4e2b-9d92-4d2c88d6c6f6","order_by":1,"name":"Ya-Ru Bu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ningxia University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ya-Ru","middleName":"","lastName":"Bu","suffix":""},{"id":493436893,"identity":"2a9326a1-ccf0-46a6-8d66-f6867c200cdb","order_by":2,"name":"Shun-Jie Ruan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ningxia University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shun-Jie","middleName":"","lastName":"Ruan","suffix":""},{"id":493436894,"identity":"6f33d23d-1ce1-4c87-b4b8-e49d73c7dbfd","order_by":3,"name":"Qing Bao","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAxCRwMDAw8bMfvBBQkUN8Vpk+Nl5kg0enDlGpBYgsJHsZzCTfNjCTFiLOfvhgzce7qjlMTjMkFaR2MDGwN/enYBXi2VPWrJF4pnjQC2Mx24k7pBhkDhzdgN+hx3IMZNIbDsGtuVG4hk2BgOJXAJazr+BazErSGxjJkLLDbAtNTySzQxmDERpsZzxDOiXtgM8/Mw8yRIJZ47xEPSLOX/ywZs/2+rs2fiPH/z4o6JGjr+9F78WEJBgYDgM5/AQVA7VUkeUwlEwCkbBKBihAAA/U0jf9HqGWgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Ningxia University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qing","middleName":"","lastName":"Bao","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-14 11:38:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6893715/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6893715/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-22522-0","type":"published","date":"2025-11-03T15:57:11+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":88008794,"identity":"ce995112-31a1-4d1d-b2ea-8845b4c2e2b7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-31 11:27:48","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":54686,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFour moderating patterns based on the role of protective factors at different risk levels: (A) protective, (B) protective-stabilizing, (C) protective-enhancing, (D) protective-reactive. \u003cem\u003eNote\u003c/em\u003e: from Luthar et al. (2000).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6893715/v1/b22844daae3dc65bf78990b0.png"},{"id":88008797,"identity":"7bd4b90f-4f38-440f-b112-83f42c182430","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-31 11:27:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":24882,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe conceptual moderated mediation model for psychological control and adolescents’ psychological capital in the link between parental burnout and adolescents’ internalizing problems. \u003cem\u003eNote\u003c/em\u003e: Latent variables are shown in the figure. PB = Parental Burnout, Psy. Con. = psychological control, INT = Internalizing problems, Psy. Cap. = psychological capital.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6893715/v1/bcfcbda7c35eaa074717e1af.jpg"},{"id":88008791,"identity":"2795adcb-659d-4e38-b908-53c524345901","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-31 11:27:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":17421,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePsychological control mediated the effects of parental burnout on early adolescents’ internalizing problems. Note: The indicators on each latent variable and the covariates (i.e., adolescents' gender, parents' age, job type, and family type) in the model were not shown for ease of presentation. PB = parental burnout, Psy. Con = psychological control, INT = internalizing problems; Unstandardized coefficients / Standardized coefficients were presented; *** p \u0026lt; 0.001.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6893715/v1/2756b8039783c14a1d1f1f46.jpg"},{"id":88009052,"identity":"9e30dc08-04b5-49d6-a496-ab59943081de","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-31 11:35:48","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":26741,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eModerating effects of adolescents’ psychological capital on the link between parental burnout and adolescents’ internalizing problems. \u003cem\u003eNote\u003c/em\u003e: The covariates in the model were not shown for ease of presentation. PB = parental burnout, Psy. Con = psychological control, INT = internalizing problems, Psy. Cap = psychological capital. The dot line indicates that the path coefficient is not significant. Unstandardized coefficients / Standardized coefficients are presented;\u003csup\u003e **\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01, \u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.001.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6893715/v1/dfac7fdf9191800ba6bfc8c1.jpg"},{"id":95563974,"identity":"9b156b7b-4bcb-42bd-bb72-11218e4b35a2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-10 16:05:16","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1292621,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6893715/v1/c1283591-a804-442d-a079-2f8106a8c0cc.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"When Exhaustion Becomes Control: Parental Burnout, Psychological Intrusion, and the Resilience of Adolescents","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eIt often begins subtly: a missed bedtime story here, a sigh of frustration during homework there. Many parents can recall moments when the joy of parenting is overshadowed by relentless obligations\u0026mdash;school drop-offs, meals to cook, emotional crises to manage\u0026mdash;all unfolding without pause. In today\u0026rsquo;s fast-paced, resource-strained world, parenting has become an unrelenting task that frequently leaves caregivers feeling physically drained and emotionally spent. Far from being passive protectors, parents are active emotional regulators for their children, yet they themselves often lack the support systems needed to sustain this role.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the earliest stages of a child\u0026rsquo;s life, parents are exposed to a continuous stream of demands, ranging from daily hassles (e.g., managing routines, negotiating screen time) to chronic stressors (e.g., developmental disorders, behavioral challenges) (Crnic \u0026amp; Low, 2002; Mikolajczak, Gross, \u0026amp; Roskam, 2020). When such demands are not met with adequate personal, familial, or institutional support, parents become vulnerable to parental burnout\u0026mdash;a psychological syndrome specific to parenting, characterized by persistent emotional depletion and loss of fulfillment in the parental role (Roskam, Brianda, \u0026amp; Mikolajczak, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParental burnout is commonly understood to involve four interrelated dimensions, each of which manifests in tangible ways in family life. The first is emotional exhaustion\u0026mdash;parents may find themselves mentally depleted by even the smallest of tasks, such as preparing breakfast or helping with homework, and often report persistent fatigue, insomnia, or even crying episodes in isolation. The second dimension is a loss of parental identity. Once confident and engaged, parents may begin to see themselves as failures, comparing their current selves with a past version who once felt competent, patient, and emotionally available. The third dimension reflects a sense of disillusionment with the parenting role\u0026mdash;what once felt meaningful now feels obligatory or even burdensome. For example, a parent may no longer look forward to family outings or birthdays, instead feeling dread or detachment. Finally, emotional distancing occurs when burned-out parents, overwhelmed and resentful, begin to withdraw emotionally, speaking less to their children, avoiding eye contact, or no longer initiating physical affection, such as hugs or bedtime stories.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile prior research has made commendable progress in identifying risk factors that contribute to parental burnout\u0026mdash;such as neuroticism, child temperament, and family functioning (Furutani et al., 2020; Mikolajczak, Raes et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e)\u0026mdash;much less is known about what happens next: What does parental burnout mean for the developing adolescent on the receiving end? This is not a trivial question. Adolescence, particularly its early stages, is a developmentally sensitive period marked by increased emotional lability and vulnerability to stress (Lee et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). When the adults they rely on for safety and emotional regulation are themselves depleted, adolescents may experience profound psychological impacts that are still poorly understood in the literature. Studying these dynamics not only deepens our theoretical understanding of family systems under stress, but also offers urgently needed insights for designing early interventions that promote youth resilience. It is within this framework of theoretical curiosity and applied urgency that the present study is situated.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec2\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.1. Parental Burnout and Internalizing Problems in Adolescents\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdolescenParental burnout does not occur in isolation\u0026mdash;it is embedded within the parent-child relational system, where emotional availability, behavioral consistency, and regulatory support are central to adolescent development. As parents become emotionally depleted and disengaged, their ability to serve as reliable emotional regulators diminishes, increasing adolescents\u0026rsquo; vulnerability to internalizing problems, such as anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and somatic complaints.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough research on parental burnout has largely focused on its antecedents\u0026mdash;such as neuroticism, family dysfunction, and caring for high-needs children (Mikolajczak, Raes et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Lebert-Charron et al., 2018)\u0026mdash;less is known about how such burnout may influence children\u0026rsquo;s emotional development. The few studies that do explore this impact often rely on parent-reported outcomes and emphasize externalizing behaviors such as neglect and violence. For instance, Mikolajczak, Brianda, et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), in a large-scale study of 1551 parents, found that burnout was strongly associated with self-reported abusive and neglectful behaviors. Longitudinal, cross-lagged studies have confirmed this effect across cultural contexts, showing that parental burnout predicts increased risk of child maltreatment over time (Mikolajczak, Gross, \u0026amp; Roskam, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet internalizing consequences\u0026mdash;those that manifest within the adolescent\u0026rsquo;s emotional world\u0026mdash;may be equally, if not more, concerning. Parental burnout may subtly reshape the family emotional climate, reducing warmth, responsiveness, and empathic attunement. These relational ruptures, in turn, disrupt adolescents\u0026rsquo; sense of security and emotional stability, potentially leading to sustained psychological distress. Cross-sectional findings support this view: parental burnout has been significantly associated with adolescent loneliness (Cheng et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) and anxiety (Wang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). More decisively, longitudinal evidence suggests a causal trajectory: in a study of 442 Chinese parent-adolescent dyads, Yang et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) found that parental burnout predicted adolescents\u0026rsquo; depressive and anxious symptoms two months later. Similarly, Chen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) found that maternal burnout influenced adolescents\u0026rsquo; perception of parental hostility, which mediated the development of later internalizing problems.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaken together, these findings suggest that parental burnout may serve as an upstream emotional stressor, setting in motion a sequence of relational disruptions and regulatory failures that culminate in adolescent internalizing symptoms. Understanding this process is critical not only for family psychology theory but also for designing timely interventions that buffer youth against parental emotional disengagement.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.2. Psychological Control as a Potential Mechanism\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePsychological One plausible pathway through which parental burnout may affect adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing problems is via changes in parenting practices\u0026mdash;particularly the increased use of psychologically controlling behaviors. In this process, emotional exhaustion leads parents to rely more heavily on intrusive and manipulative tactics, which in turn undermine the adolescent\u0026rsquo;s psychological needs and foster emotional distress.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePsychological control refers to parental behaviors that intrude into the emotional and cognitive world of the child, manipulating thoughts, feelings, and decision-making to align with parental standards (Barber \u0026amp; Harmon, 2002). Unlike behavioral control\u0026mdash;which sets clear external expectations\u0026mdash;psychological control is coercive, guilt-inducing, and emotionally invasive (Barber et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). For example, a burned-out parent might respond to a child\u0026rsquo;s disagreement not with discussion, but with statements such as, \u0026ldquo;After everything I\u0026rsquo;ve done for you, how can you be so selfish?\u0026rdquo; or, \u0026ldquo;You\u0026rsquo;ve really disappointed me.\u0026rdquo; Over time, these tactics erode the child\u0026rsquo;s sense of autonomy and internal worth.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Emotionally depleted parents often lack the patience and regulatory capacity to engage in warm, supportive parenting. Studies have found that burnout is associated with a greater tendency to withdraw, criticize, or manipulate children emotionally (Mikolajczak et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; De Haan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Rousseau et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). These parents may resort to emotional blackmail, invalidation of the child\u0026rsquo;s perspective, or excessive guilt induction\u0026mdash;all of which restrict the child\u0026rsquo;s ability to think and feel independently.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the perspective of Self-Determination Theory (Ryan \u0026amp; Deci, 2000, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e), such psychologically controlling practices frustrate three core psychological needs: autonomy (feeling in control of one\u0026rsquo;s actions), competence (feeling effective), and relatedness (feeling emotionally connected to others). When these needs go unmet, adolescents experience emotional strain, identity confusion, and heightened vulnerability to anxiety and depression (Soenens \u0026amp; Vansteenkiste, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Mabbe et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA growing body of empirical research supports this mechanism: psychologically controlling parenting has been shown to predict a range of internalizing outcomes\u0026mdash;including anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal\u0026mdash;across different cultures and age groups (Mckee et al., 2008; Stone et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Gugliandolo et al., 2015). Taken together, these findings suggest that parental burnout may not only impact adolescents directly, but also indirectly by increasing the likelihood that parents adopt emotionally manipulative strategies, which in turn undermine adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychological well-being.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.3. Adolescents' Psychological Capital as a Moderator\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePsychological Not all adolescents exposed to parental burnout or psychologically controlling parenting develop internalizing problems. A key reason lies in the variability of adolescents\u0026rsquo; internal psychological resources, which enable some to adapt more successfully than others. Among these, psychological capital (PsyCap)\u0026mdash;a higher-order construct composed of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism\u0026mdash;has been recognized as a dynamic, state-like capacity that equips adolescents to manage adversity (Luthans, Avolio, \u0026amp; Youssef, 2007; Luthans et al., 2006).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the adolescent\u0026rsquo;s perspective, parental burnout and psychological control introduce developmental threats that undermine their sense of predictability, emotional safety, and personal agency. These experiences can destabilize their self-worth and elicit chronic stress responses. Psychological capital functions as a personal reservoir that adolescents draw upon to buffer these negative effects. For example, hope helps them envision alternative futures, self-efficacy motivates active coping, resilience sustains effort during hardship, and optimism maintains positive expectations despite setbacks. These components collectively foster a sense of control and meaning even in emotionally strained family environments.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmpirical studies consistently show that adolescents with high PsyCap are better equipped to regulate their emotions, maintain academic engagement, and preserve mental well-being, even under considerable family stress (Fan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Yang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). PsyCap can act as a protective-stabilizing or protective-enhancing factor (Fergus \u0026amp; Zimmerman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e), buffering the harmful consequences of environmental risks such as parental conflict, neglect, or emotional disengagement.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen adolescents face parenting marked by burnout and control, those with high psychological capital may reinterpret, reframe, or disengage from the emotional impact of parental dysfunction, thereby preserving their emotional boundaries. Conversely, adolescents with low PsyCap may absorb distress more deeply, increasing the risk of anxiety, depression, and identity confusion. As reciprocal determinism suggests (Lerner et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e), youth development arises from the continuous interaction between environmental adversity and internal protective strengths. Accordingly, psychological capital not only mitigates the direct impact of parental burnout, but may also attenuate the indirect effects transmitted via psychologically controlling parenting.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this way, PsyCap does not eliminate risk but shapes how risk is experienced, empowering adolescents to transform potentially damaging family dynamics into challenges that can be met with active, resilient coping.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"2. Current Study","content":"\u003cp\u003eFamily relationships are the crucibles in which adolescent psychological resilience is forged\u0026mdash;or fractured. In the context of rising public concern over youth mental health, particularly in fast-changing societies like China where parental stressors have intensified, understanding how parental burnout affects adolescent adjustment is not merely an academic exercise but a social imperative.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrevious research has often fragmented this question into discrete associations\u0026mdash;parental burnout predicts adolescent depression; psychological control leads to anxiety. Yet, what remains underexplored is how these forces interact systemically within the family ecology: how the emotional depletion of parents reshapes relational behaviors, and how adolescents\u0026rsquo; internal psychological resources either buffer or succumb to these shifting dynamics.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study seeks to address this gap by constructing a multi-level, moderated mediation model that captures the dynamic interplay between parental burnout, psychologically controlling parenting, and adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing problems, while also highlighting the protective function of adolescent psychological capital. More than mapping a path diagram, the study frames a broader question:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"When the emotional atmosphere of the family turns cold, what shields the adolescent\u0026rsquo;s mind from freezing?\"\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUsing a dyadic sample of Chinese families, we integrate parent-reported and adolescent-reported data to provide a nuanced, cross-perspective understanding of family-based emotional transmission. By identifying not only what harms but what heals, this study aims to inform future psychological interventions, parenting programs, and policy efforts centered on youth well-being. The conceptual model is illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e further outlines the theoretical protective patterns guiding the current moderated mediation framework.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3. Method","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.1. Participants\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA total of 2,236 parent\u0026ndash;adolescent dyads from mainland China participated in this study. The majority of parents were mothers (91.5%), with a mean age of 39.96 years (\u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.55). Adolescents were evenly distributed by sex (48.7% female), with a mean age of 12.69 years (\u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.36). All participating adolescents were enrolled in the seventh grade across multiple junior high schools in urban and suburban districts. Families were eligible to participate if (a) the adolescent lived with at least one parent, (b) both parent and adolescent were willing to participate, and (c) no developmental disabilities or severe physical/mental illness were reported in either party. Cases with missing data exceeding 20% on any scale were excluded from the final analysis. Detailed demographic information is presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics and Pearson correlations between variables (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2236)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"15\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c12\" colnum=\"12\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c13\" colnum=\"13\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c14\" colnum=\"14\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c15\" colnum=\"15\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eM\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSkewness\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eKurtosis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eC. gender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eC. age\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP. gender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP. age\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdu.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJob\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFT\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNOC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.PB\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.30(1.01)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.74\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.08\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.06\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.18\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.07\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.05\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.12\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.Psy. Con.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.24(0.85)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.89\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.19\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.04\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.05\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.INT\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.28(0.26)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.15\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.381\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.10\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.07\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.10\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.06\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.Psy. Cap.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.81(1.15)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;0.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;0.38\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.16\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.10\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.32\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.05\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.15\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c15\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;.06\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"15\" nameend=\"c15\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote\u003c/em\u003e. PB\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;parental burnout, Psy. Con\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;psychological control, INT\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;internalizing problems, Psy. Cap\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;psychological capital, C. gender\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;children\u0026rsquo;s gender (i.e., 0\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;male, 1\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;female), C. age\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;children\u0026rsquo;s age, P. gender\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;parents\u0026rsquo; gender (i.e., 0\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;male, 1\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;female), P. age\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;parents\u0026rsquo; age, Edu. = parents\u0026rsquo; education attainment, Job\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;job type (i.e., 0\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;no work, 1\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;part-time job, 2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;full-time job), FT\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;family type (0\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;two parents biological families, 1\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;single parent families, 2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;remarried families), NOC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;number of children; \u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, \u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, \u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.2. Procedure\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eEthical approval (IRB No. HR2021-08-001) granted by the Institutional Review Board of Teacher Education at Ningxia University, a stratified sampling approach was employed to recruit families through collaboration with junior high schools. Informed consent was obtained from both parents and adolescents, with parental consent serving as legal authorization for adolescent participation. To ensure anonymity and reduce social desirability bias, all participants were assured that their responses would be kept confidential and used solely for academic research. All methods were carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations, including the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA total of 2,500 questionnaires were distributed to adolescent\u0026ndash;parent pairs. Adolescents completed their self-report questionnaires in classroom settings during school hours under the supervision of trained graduate students in psychology. Parents completed their portion of the survey independently at home and returned the completed forms through their children to designated homeroom teachers the following day. The final response rate was 89.4%. The survey booklet included matched but anonymous codes for parent and adolescent forms to ensure dyadic data linkage.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.3. Measures\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eParental Burnout.\u003c/b\u003e Parental burnout was assessed using the Chinese version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) developed by Roskam et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) and validated in Chinese samples (Cheng et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The 23-item scale measures four core dimensions: emotional exhaustion (e.g., \u0026ldquo;I feel completely rundown by my role as a parent\u0026rdquo;), contrast with previous parental self (e.g., \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m ashamed of the parent that I\u0026rsquo;ve become\u0026rdquo;), saturation (e.g., \u0026ldquo;I cannot take being a parent anymore\u0026rdquo;), and emotional distancing (e.g., \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m no longer able to show my child how much I love them\u0026rdquo;). Items were rated on a 7-point Likert scale (0 = \u0026ldquo;never\u0026rdquo; to 6 = \u0026ldquo;daily\u0026rdquo;). A mean score was calculated, with higher scores indicating greater parental burnout. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.94).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePsychological Control.\u003c/b\u003e Adolescents reported their perceived psychological control using an 18-item scale developed by Wang, Pomerantz, and Chen (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e), previously validated in Chinese cultural contexts (e.g., Xing et al., 2017; Xu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The scale comprises three dimensions: guilt induction (10 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;My parents tell me I should feel guilty when I do not meet their expectations\u0026rdquo;), love withdrawal (5 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;If I do something my parents don\u0026rsquo;t like, they become cold and distant\u0026rdquo;), and authority assertion (3 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;My parents insist that what they want me to do is best, and I should not question them\u0026rdquo;). Adolescents rated each item on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = \u0026ldquo;not at all true\u0026rdquo; to 5 = \u0026ldquo;very true\u0026rdquo;). A mean score across all items was computed, with higher values reflecting higher perceived psychological control (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.91).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eInternalizing Problems.\u003c/b\u003e Adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing symptoms were assessed using the Chinese version of the Youth Self Report (YSR) developed by Achenbach (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1991\u003c/span\u003e). The internalizing problems index comprises three subscales: anxious/depressed (15 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;I worry a lot\u0026rdquo;; α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.87), withdrawn (8 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d rather be alone than with anyone else\u0026rdquo;; α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.84), and somatic complaints (9 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;I have nightmares\u0026rdquo;; α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.83). Responses were given on a 3-point scale (0 = \u0026ldquo;not at all,\u0026rdquo; 1 = \u0026ldquo;a little,\u0026rdquo; 2 = \u0026ldquo;a lot\u0026rdquo;). The mean score across all 32 items was calculated, with higher scores indicating more severe internalizing problems.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePsychological Capital.\u003c/b\u003e Adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychological capital was measured using a 26-item scale developed by Zhang, Zhang, and Dong (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e), based on the theoretical framework of Luthans, Youssef, and Avolio (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). The scale captures four components: self-efficacy (7 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;I have confidence in my ability\u0026rdquo;), resilience (7 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;I bounce back quickly when I encounter setbacks\u0026rdquo;), hope (6 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m working hard to achieve my goals\u0026rdquo;), and optimism (6 items; e.g., \u0026ldquo;I always look on the bright side of things\u0026rdquo;). Participants responded on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = \u0026ldquo;strongly disagree\u0026rdquo; to 7 = \u0026ldquo;strongly agree\u0026rdquo;). The mean of all items was computed, with higher scores indicating stronger psychological capital (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.91). This scale has been widely used with Chinese adolescent populations (e.g., Wang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Xiong et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDemographic variables.\u003c/b\u003e Parents reported their gender, age, educational level, employment status (full-time, part-time, unemployed), family structure (two-parent biological, single-parent, remarried), and number of children. Adolescents reported their gender and age. These variables were included as covariates in all analyses given their potential associations with key outcomes, as suggested by prior studies (e.g., Cheng, 2020; Mikolajczak \u0026amp; Raes et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Roskam et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.4. Data Analyses\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst, we examined the basic associations between parental burnout and adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing problems using SPSS 25.0. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regressions were conducted. Scale scores were computed as the mean across each measure. Demographic variables were included as covariates, including adolescents\u0026rsquo; gender and age, parents\u0026rsquo; gender and age, parental education, family type, and the number of children.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo ensure precision in dyadic matching, when parental burnout was reported by the mother, we used the adolescent\u0026rsquo;s report of maternal psychological control; when reported by the father, we used the corresponding paternal psychological control score reported by the adolescent.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecond, we tested the mediating role of psychologically controlling parenting in the relationship between parental burnout and adolescent internalizing problems, using structural equation modeling (SEM) in Mplus 7.4 (Muth\u0026eacute;n \u0026amp; Muth\u0026eacute;n, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was first conducted to confirm the adequacy of the measurement model following the guidelines of Byrne (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Then, we tested structural models including: (a) a direct path from parental burnout to internalizing problems, and (b) an indirect path via psychological control.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe indirect effect was evaluated using bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 samples (MacKinnon, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Mediation was considered significant if the 95% confidence interval (\u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e) for the indirect effect did not contain zero (Erceghurn \u0026amp; Mirosevich, 2008). Model fit was assessed using multiple indices: the Chi-square statistic (χ\u0026sup2;), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker\u0026ndash;Lewis Index (TLI), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR). Acceptable fit was defined as CFI and TLI\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;.90, RMSEA and SRMR\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.10; excellent fit was indicated by CFI and TLI\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;.95, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.06, and SRMR\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.08 (Hu \u0026amp; Bentler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e; Kline, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThird, we examined whether adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychological capital moderated the direct and indirect pathways using a Latent Moderated Structural Equations (LMS) approach (Klein \u0026amp; Moosbrugger, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Maslowsky, Jager, \u0026amp; Hemken, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) implemented in Mplus 7.4. This approach does not require manual construction of interaction terms and provides robust estimates for latent variable interactions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eModel fit comparisons were conducted using the log-likelihood difference test (Δ\u0026ndash;2LL) to compare:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eModel 1: mediation model with only main effects\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eModel 2: moderated mediation model including latent interaction terms (burnout \u0026times; PsyCap; control \u0026times; PsyCap)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA significant Δ\u0026ndash;2LL supports the inclusion of latent moderation effects (Sun et al., 2015). Simple slope analyses were used to visualize the nature of significant interactions by testing model estimates at high (+\u0026thinsp;1 \u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e) and low (\u0026ndash;1 \u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e) levels of psychological capital (Kelava et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll analyses were conducted using maximum likelihood (ML) estimation. This estimator is robust under moderate violations of normality (skewness\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;2; kurtosis\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;7) (West, Finch \u0026amp; Curran, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e; Finney \u0026amp; DiStefano, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Missing data were evaluated using Little\u0026rsquo;s MCAR test, which indicated data were missing completely at random: χ\u0026sup2;(67,626)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;81,339.85, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001. The Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm was applied for missing data imputation (Schafer, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e). All structural models controlled for demographic covariates to ensure the robustness of effects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.5. Data Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to participant confidentiality, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.1. Descriptive Statistics and Correlations\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e reports the descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations among all major study variables. Several key patterns emerged that provide initial support for the hypothesized relationships.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst, higher levels of parental burnout were significantly associated with greater psychological control as perceived by adolescents, and with elevated internalizing problems among adolescents. These results suggest that when parents feel emotionally exhausted, disengaged, or dissatisfied in their parenting role, adolescents are more likely to experience intrusive parenting and emotional distress.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecond, adolescents who perceived higher levels of psychologically controlling parenting reported significantly more internalizing symptoms, including anxiety, withdrawal, and somatic complaints. This supports the proposed mediating role of psychological control in the association between parental burnout and youth outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThird, adolescents' psychological capital was negatively correlated with internalizing problems, indicating a protective role. Higher levels of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism were associated with fewer emotional difficulties.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFourth, several demographic variables showed meaningful associations with key constructs. Girls reported higher internalizing problems than boys, while boys scored higher on psychological capital. Older adolescents perceived more psychological control from parents. Parents of boys reported greater burnout.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFifth, parental age and education were negatively correlated with parental burnout and positively related to both psychological control and adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychological capital. Parents with more children reported more burnout. Youth from one-child families had higher levels of psychological capital. Two-parent biological families showed lower levels of parental burnout and adolescent internalizing symptoms. Additionally, parental employment status was significantly associated with both burnout and adolescent outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether, these correlations suggest meaningful links among parental burnout, parenting style, adolescent resilience, and emotional adjustment, providing a strong rationale for subsequent modeling analyses.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2. Parental Burnout and Internalizing Problems in Early Adolescents\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first analysis examined whether parental burnout significantly predicted internalizing problems among early adolescents. A hierarchical linear regression was conducted, entering demographic covariates in the first step\u0026mdash;including adolescents' gender, parental age, parental job type, and family structure\u0026mdash;and parental burnout in the second step.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe results indicated that higher levels of parental burnout were significantly associated with greater internalizing symptoms in adolescents (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.173, t\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;8.35, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001), even after controlling for relevant covariates. This finding supports the hypothesis that parental psychological exhaustion and detachment contribute to youth emotional distress, underscoring the developmental consequences of burnout within the family context.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.3. The Mediating Role of Psychological Control in the Relationships Between Parental Burnout and Adolescents' Internalizing Problems\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore testing the mediation hypothesis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to validate the measurement model, which included four latent constructs: parental burnout (indicated by emotional exhaustion, emotional distancing, contrast with previous parental self, and parental fed-up feelings), psychological control (indicated by guilt induction, authority assertion, and love withdrawal), internalizing problems (indicated by anxious/depressed, withdrawn, and somatic complaints), and psychological capital (indicated by self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, and hope). The CFA results indicated a good model fit: χ\u0026sup2;(70)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;271.33, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.989, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.985, SRMR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.026, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.036, 90% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.031, 0.040]. All standardized factor loadings were statistically significant (\u003cem\u003eps\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001), as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe standardized load of each index on the factor\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeta\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSE\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eβ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eParental burnout\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExhaustion\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.85\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eContrast\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55.36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.92\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeelings\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.93\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51.69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.88\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDistancing\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.97\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.19\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.81\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePsychological control\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuilt induction\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49.97\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.91\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthority assertion\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.67\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37.91\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.74\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLove withdrawal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.86\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.75\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eInternalizing problems\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnxious/Depressed\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.92\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.81\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWithdrawn\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.82\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.67\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSomatic complaints\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e50.91\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.92\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePsychological capital\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.79\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eResilience\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.71\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHope\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.88\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOptimism\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.04\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.80\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote\u003c/em\u003e: exhaustion\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;exhaustion in one\u0026rsquo;s parental role, contrast\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;contrast with previous parental self, feelings\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;feelings of being fed up with one\u0026rsquo;s parental role, distancing\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;emotional distancing from one\u0026rsquo;s children; \u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorrelational analyses between latent constructs (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) revealed that parental burnout was positively associated with both psychological control and internalizing problems. Psychological control was also positively correlated with internalizing problems. In contrast, psychological capital was negatively associated with all three constructs, supporting the expected protective function of psychological capital in adolescent adjustment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCorrelations among latent variables\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.PB\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.Psy. Con.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.21\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.INT\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.17\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.42\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.Psy. Cap.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;0.19\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;0.10\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;0.36\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote\u003c/em\u003e: The standardized coefficients were shown; PB\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;parental burnout, Psy. Con\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;psychological control, INT\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;internalizing problems, Psy. Cap\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;psychological capital; \u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo test the mediation model, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted. In the first step, the direct effect of parental burnout on adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing problems was tested after controlling for covariates (i.e., adolescents' gender, parental age, job type, and family structure). The model demonstrated good fit: χ\u0026sup2;(45)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;120.15, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.992, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.989, SRMR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.013, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.027, 90% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.021, 0.033]. Parental burnout significantly predicted adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing symptoms (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.194, 95% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.150, 0.243], \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the second step, psychological control was added as a mediator. The model also exhibited excellent fit: χ\u0026sup2;(90)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;236.93, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.989, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.986, SRMR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.019, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.027, 90% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.023, 0.031]. As illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing problems via psychological control was significant (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.092, 95% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.069, 0.118], \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001), as was the direct effect (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.122, 95% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.074, 0.171], \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001). These results suggest a partial mediation, indicating that psychologically controlling parenting partially explains the pathway through which parental burnout influences adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing outcomes. Hypothesis 2 was thus supported.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.4. Adolescent Psychological Capital's Moderating Role in the Association Between Parental Burnout and Adolescents\u0026rsquo; Internalizing Problems\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo examine whether adolescent psychological capital moderated the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing problems via psychological control, we first tested a baseline mediation model including the main effects of all variables (Model 1). The model showed good fit: χ\u0026sup2;(158)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;623.34, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.974, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.969, SRMR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.047, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.036, 90% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.033, 0.039].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNext, in Model 2, we introduced interaction terms between latent variables (i.e., Parental Burnout \u0026times; Psychological Capital and Psychological Control \u0026times; Psychological Capital) based on the LMS (Latent Moderated Structural Equations) framework. Model fit was assessed using the log-likelihood ratio test. Compared with Model 1 (LogL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;31293.48), Model 2 with interaction terms (LogL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;31288.36) showed a significantly better fit, LR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;10.24, Δ\u003cem\u003edf\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.01, supporting the inclusion of moderating effects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurther path estimates indicated that adolescent psychological capital significantly moderated the effect of psychological control on internalizing problems (β = \u0026minus;0.141, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001, 95% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.180, \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.109]), but did not significantly moderate the direct relationship between parental burnout and internalizing problems (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.021, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;.05, 95% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.019, 0.054]) (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, psychological capital moderated the latter stage of the mediation process, partially supporting Hypothesis 3.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo further probe this moderation, we conducted a simple slope analysis. For adolescents with high psychological capital (+\u0026thinsp;1 \u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e), the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing problems via psychological control was reduced (indirect effect\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.044, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001, 95% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.028, 0.059]). In contrast, for adolescents with low psychological capital (\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1 \u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e), the indirect effect was significantly stronger (indirect effect\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.108, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001, 95% \u003cem\u003eCI\u003c/em\u003e [0.081, 0.135]). As illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, psychologically controlling parenting predicted more internalizing symptoms in adolescents with lower psychological capital, but this relationship was substantially attenuated among those with higher psychological capital.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn sum, while parental burnout increased adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing symptoms through psychologically controlling parenting, this indirect effect was significantly buffered by adolescent psychological capital. These findings highlight the protective role of psychological capital as a resilience factor in adverse parenting contexts.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eParental burnout\u0026mdash;a chronic and emotionally taxing state stemming from overwhelming parental demands\u0026mdash;has emerged as a significant factor shaping the emotional well-being of children and adolescents (Mikolajczak et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). This study sheds light on how such burnout influences early adolescents' internalizing problems through psychologically controlling parenting, and how adolescents' own psychological capital can buffer this effect. Drawing from a large-scale paired parent\u0026ndash;adolescent sample, the findings delineate a nuanced mechanism and reveal the dual pathway of vulnerability and resilience that operates in families.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.1. Parental Burnout and Adolescents\u0026rsquo; Internalizing Problems\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn line with prior research, the results confirmed that higher levels of parental burnout were significantly associated with greater internalizing problems in early adolescents (Arbel et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Yang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Kochanova et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). This supports the view that emotionally exhausted parents are less likely to offer the warmth, stability, and autonomy support essential to healthy adolescent development. The silent and invisible nature of burnout\u0026mdash;often manifested in emotional withdrawal rather than overt hostility\u0026mdash;can lead to an emotionally barren family climate, where adolescents feel unsupported and misunderstood. Rather than occasional conflict, the persistent emotional unavailability may generate chronic psychological insecurity in youth.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.2. Psychological Control as a Mediator\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur findings further underscore that psychological control mediates the link between parental burnout and adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing problems. This aligns with Deater-Deckard\u0026rsquo;s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e) model positing that parental stress is transmitted to children through distorted parenting practices. When burned out, parents may unwittingly use guilt, love withdrawal, or authority imposition as coping strategies to maintain family order or regulate their own emotional instability (Cui et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Rousseau et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). While prior studies focus on neglect or harshness as outcomes of burnout (Mikolajczak, Raes, et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), our findings highlight more covert forms of emotional coercion. This contributes to self-determination theory (Ryan \u0026amp; Deci, 2000, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e), suggesting that psychological control undermines adolescents' basic need for autonomy, thus exacerbating internalizing symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.3. Psychological Capital as a Moderator\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eImportantly, adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychological capital moderated the indirect effect of parental burnout on internalizing symptoms via psychological control. Adolescents with higher psychological capital\u0026mdash;comprising hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy\u0026mdash;were less affected by controlling parenting. This finding echoes the stress-buffering model (Cohen \u0026amp; Wills, 1985) and resilience literature (Fergus \u0026amp; Zimmerman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e), emphasizing how internal strengths can reframe external stressors. Notably, this moderation effect did not extend to the direct path between parental burnout and adolescent symptoms, possibly because adolescents are less aware of their parents' internal states compared to observable behaviors. Thus, while psychological capital shields adolescents from emotionally invasive parenting, it may be less effective against more latent familial stress.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.4. Theoretical and Methodological Contributions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study makes several theoretical contributions. First, it integrates parental burnout into the broader framework of developmental psychopathology, bridging family stress theory with self-determination and resilience models. Second, it illustrates a dual-process model\u0026mdash;stress as risk and capital as protection\u0026mdash;thus advancing conceptual understanding of how adolescents navigate adverse parenting environments. Methodologically, this research used a large dyadic sample and latent variable modeling, enhancing measurement precision and ecological validity. It also provides evidence from non-Western contexts, expanding the cultural lens through which family stress is examined.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.5. General Reflection: Data, Depth, and Social Relevance\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCollecting data from over 2,000 parent\u0026ndash;child dyads\u0026mdash;most from ordinary urban and rural schools\u0026mdash;was not just statistically valuable but sociologically revealing. These families represent real-world parenting scenarios, many struggling with invisible burdens yet functioning silently. The findings offer not just statistical patterns, but windows into daily emotional climates that shape adolescent minds. We believe research like this should not only identify problems but also guide social insight. In a world where \u0026ldquo;parenting pressure\u0026rdquo; is normalized and rarely questioned, documenting burnout and its intergenerational echoes becomes both an academic and ethical undertaking.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.6. Practical Recommendations: Toward Emotionally Sustainable Parenting\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom a policy and practice standpoint, the study offers clear avenues for prevention and intervention:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParental burnout screening should be integrated into school-family communication systems, allowing early identification of high-risk caregivers before dysfunctional patterns manifest.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParenting programs should shift focus from behavioral compliance to emotional sustainability, offering tools to manage parental exhaustion and avoid control-based strategies.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdolescent psychological capital interventions (PCI) should be developed and scaled in school-based curricula (Luthans \u0026amp; Youssef, 2004; Song et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e), including guided visualization, emotional reframing, and goal-directed planning modules.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDual-pathway interventions\u0026mdash;targeting both parental stress and adolescent strengths\u0026mdash;may be particularly effective. Strengthening one side without addressing the other is likely to produce limited, short-term gains.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy promoting emotional sustainability in families and building inner resources in youth, we can move toward a more resilient developmental ecology.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec23\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.7. General Reflection and Practical Strategies\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy integrating multi-informant dyadic data with structural modeling, this study advances an explanatory model of how family stress\u0026mdash;manifested as parental burnout\u0026mdash;can undermine adolescent psychological adjustment via psychologically controlling parenting. Crucially, the study also highlights the protective function of adolescents' psychological capital, offering a nuanced account of how internal psychological resources can moderate the impact of familial stressors. The scope and structure of this work are particularly relevant in today\u0026rsquo;s post-pandemic context, where families are experiencing intensified caregiving demands and emotional strain.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond confirming prior associations, this study repositions adolescents as active agents who can reframe and buffer the emotional tone of family life. Psychological capital\u0026mdash;comprising hope, optimism, efficacy, and resilience\u0026mdash;functions not merely as a personality trait but as an internal psychological firewall, helping youth preserve autonomy and emotional stability under parenting conditions characterized by psychological control. In contrast to overt forms of maltreatment, psychological control is subtle and pervasive, often operating beneath conscious awareness. Our findings thus call for heightened attention to such insidious forms of parental behavior, especially when rooted in caregiver exhaustion.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn terms of broader implications, the study illustrates the bidirectional nature of family emotional dynamics. While parental burnout may drive controlling parenting behaviors, adolescents' internal resources can modulate how these behaviors are interpreted and internalized. This reinforces the need to move beyond unidirectional, parent-centered models of family risk, and to design family interventions that empower both sides of the dyad.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec24\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.8. Practical Implications: Toward Emotionally Sustainable Parenting\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on the findings above, we propose a dual-path intervention framework: one that simultaneously alleviates parental burnout and strengthens adolescents' psychological capital. Specifically:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEarly identification and prevention: Educational institutions and pediatric clinics should screen for signs of parental burnout and refer high-risk families to supportive services. Early intervention may prevent the escalation of emotionally controlling parenting behaviors that damage adolescent autonomy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYouth-focused resilience programs: Adolescents may benefit from psychological capital interventions (PCI) involving cognitive-behavioral training, strength-based goal setting, and emotional reframing. Such programs\u0026mdash;often delivered in school settings\u0026mdash;can help youth develop adaptive coping mechanisms in response to family stress.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParenting psychoeducation: Programs should explicitly address the hidden costs of psychological control. Through empathy-based training, reflective parenting sessions, and feedback loops, parents can learn autonomy-supportive strategies that reduce reliance on guilt induction or emotional withdrawal, especially when burned out.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether, these strategies promote a family ecosystem where both caregiver well-being and adolescent resilience are recognized as co-dependent variables. Addressing either side in isolation risks overlooking the complex interdependencies that shape youth mental health. As such, emotionally sustainable parenting should become a shared public health goal, especially in contexts of prolonged stress or resource scarcity.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"6. Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study sheds light on a nuanced and often overlooked pathway through which parental burnout may affect adolescent mental health: not through direct harm, but through the subtle erosion of autonomy caused by psychologically controlling parenting. By integrating stress-process theory with the positive psychological framework of resilience, we demonstrate that the negative impact of parental burnout is not inevitable\u0026mdash;it is mediated, and critically, it is conditionally buffered.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe identification of psychological capital as a moderating resource adds a crucial layer to existing theories of adolescent adaptation. Adolescents are not mere recipients of family stress; they are active meaning-makers who possess internal resources to reframe and resist harmful dynamics. Our findings suggest that strengthening such resources may be just as important as reducing parental strain when it comes to promoting adolescent well-being.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond the academic contribution, this research calls for a redefinition of what \"parental harm\" looks like in modern families. Psychological control, shaped by parental fatigue, can be as corrosive as overt neglect. Therefore, strategies to support family functioning must focus not only on reducing parental exhaustion but also on promoting emotionally sustainable parenting and enhancing adolescents\u0026rsquo; inner resilience.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn short, when the home becomes emotionally unstable, youth need not be defenseless. Empowering adolescents with psychological tools is not only a therapeutic goal\u0026mdash;it is a social imperative.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eYan-Bang Zhou: Conceived and designed the study; supervised the data collection and analysis; drafted the manuscript and led the revisions; coordinated the submission process.Ya-Ru Bu: Contributed to data analysis and interpretation; assisted in writing and revising the manuscript, particularly the methods and results sections.Shun-Jie Ruan: Participated in data collection and preprocessing; contributed to literature review and manuscript formatting; reviewed and approved the final version.Qing Bao (corresponding author): Oversaw the overall study design and quality control; provided critical revisions and theoretical integration; managed reviewer response and finalized the manuscript for submission.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analyzed in the current study are not publicly available due to [reasons, e.g., participant confidentiality], but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAchenbach, T. 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Behav.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e8\u003c/b\u003e (1), 58\u0026ndash;64 (2010).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"parental burnout, internalizing problems, psychological control, psychological capital, parent-adolescent dyads","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6893715/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6893715/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eParental burnout\u0026mdash;a silent erosion of caregiving capacity\u0026mdash;can leave emotional residues that are not always loud but often lasting. Unlike overt neglect or hostility, psychologically controlling parenting is a subtler, insidious form of harm that may go unnoticed but can significantly undermine adolescent mental health. Drawing on a large, multi-informant dataset of 2,336 Chinese parent\u0026ndash;adolescent dyads, this study examines how parental burnout may spill over into adolescents\u0026rsquo; internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, withdrawal) through psychologically controlling behaviors. Importantly, we identify psychological capital\u0026mdash;a composite of hope, optimism, resilience, and efficacy\u0026mdash;as a potential psychological firewall, buffering youth from the toxic spillover of parental stress. Structural equation modeling revealed that psychological control significantly mediated the effect of parental burnout on internalizing symptoms, and this indirect path was significantly weakened in adolescents with higher psychological capital. These findings offer a dual-process perspective: while family-level stress increases vulnerability, adolescent-level resilience can reduce susceptibility. We highlight the need for emotionally sustainable parenting and school-based interventions that build youth\u0026rsquo;s psychological defenses in high-stress family environments.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"When Exhaustion Becomes Control: Parental Burnout, Psychological Intrusion, and the Resilience of Adolescents","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-31 11:27:43","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6893715/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-08-21T06:57:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-13T10:08:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-12T15:55:00+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-06T13:11:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"335859282661673662818098540191943564079","date":"2025-07-31T00:48:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"128458904452213258956619306349872867575","date":"2025-07-29T16:58:01+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"33380652746227662487691716022942441708","date":"2025-07-29T12:25:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"179574861893817835995865619006659399923","date":"2025-07-29T12:01:01+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"297602967739928360745419014251195936608","date":"2025-07-29T08:06:51+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-29T07:58:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-07-29T07:46:36+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-18T09:11:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-06-17T10:05:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-06-14T11:24:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"7c9891ac-7198-483c-89b7-75596e4513d2","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 31st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":52400862,"name":"Biological sciences/Psychology"},{"id":52400863,"name":"Biological sciences/Psychology/Human behaviour"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-10T15:59:40+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6893715","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-22522-0","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-11-03 15:57:11","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 3rd, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-31 11:27:43","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-22522-0","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-22522-0","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6893715","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6893715","identity":"rs-6893715","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}