Parents’ Behavioural Control Affects Chinese College Students’ School Burnout and Perceived Employment Stress: Different Effects via Self-Oriented, Other-Oriented, and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism

School burnout and perceived employment stress are worried mental health issues for Chinese college students. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources model, this study examined the effects of solicitation and restriction on college students’ school burnout and perceived employment stress, and explored the mediating roles of self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism (SOP, OOP, and SPP) in the context of Chinese culture. Using a two-wave longitudinal design, the data were self-reported by 3,720 college students. The results of structural equation models indicated that solicitation negatively predicted school burnout and perceived employment stress, while restriction had a positive prediction. SOP, OOP, and SPP played mediating roles. Solicitation and restriction predicted the three types of perfectionism. OOP and SPP served as risk factors for school burnout and perceived employment stress, whereas SOP played a protective role. These findings helped us better understand and intervene in the psychological health issues of college students.