Objective: This study investigated the relationships among perceived parental psychological control, perfectionistic self-presentation, ambivalence over emotional expression, and satisfaction in romantic relationships among college students. It also examined the effect of perceived parental psychological control on satisfaction in romantic relationships and analyzed the mediating effects of perfectionistic self-presentation and ambivalence over emotional in this relationship. Methods: A survey was conducted among male and female college students, and data from 221 participants were included in the final analysis. Measures of parental psychological control, perfectionistic self-presentation, ambivalence over emotional expression, and satisfaction in romantic relationships were administered. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 31.0 and PROCESS Macro 5.0 to test the hypothesized mediation models. Results: First, parental psychological control had a significant negative effect on satisfaction in romantic relationships. Second, perfectionistic self-presentation and ambivalence over emotional expression each significantly mediated the relationship between parental psychological control and satisfaction in romantic relationships. Third, a serial mediation effect was confirmed, indicating that perceived parental psychological control influenced satisfaction in romantic relationships sequentially through perfectionistic self-presentation and ambivalence over emotional expression. Conclusions: These findings suggest that parental psychological control is an important factor influencing romantic satisfaction. To address dissatisfaction in romantic relationships among college students, counseling interventions are necessary to reduce perfectionistic self-presentation and address ambivalence over emotional expression.