The Relationship between Parental Psychological Control and Fear of Failure: A Case of Youth Self-Employment

Self-employment is vital for youth unemployment and socioeconomic development. However, youths exhibit passion but struggle with concrete action due to fear of failure (FoF), a significant psychological barrier. In East Asian families, parents often exert parental psychological control (PPC) to discourage youths from risk or uncertain career paths, such as self-employment, though its relationship with FoF remains underexplored. Guided by the Stressor-Strain Framework, this study examined how PPC affects youths’ FoF when pursuing self-employment, alongside the dual moderating effects of obsessive passion (OP) and harmonious passion (HP). Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted on survey data from 1,957 East Asian youths aged 18 to 24. The findings showed that youths’ perceived PPC significantly increases FoF. Additionally, OP weakens the influence of PPC on FoF, but HP strengthens it. Situated within the East Asian family context, this study offered a novel perspective on how PPC hinders youths’ non-traditional career pursuits. Practical implications were discussed for parents, career consulting services, and policymakers to support youth self-employment, further promoting social mobility and sustainable development.