"use their children as vehicles for their own happiness"
"One thing that means is that children and parents depend on each other more for happiness. It puts a burden on children for parents to use their children as vehicles for their own happiness - although today's young people seem complicit in this arrangement, perhaps because they've known no other way - even if it creates anxiety in the children."

Does "young people" refer to "children"?

If that is the case , are these sentences mean that, parents put children as their own happiness and children are also willing to be it, even though this puts a burden or creates anxiety in the children?

Question

"use their children as vehicles for their own happiness"
"One thing that means is that children and parents depend on each other more for happiness. It puts a burden on children for parents to use their children as vehicles for their own happiness - although today's young people seem complicit in this arrangement, perhaps because they've known no other way - even if it creates anxiety in the children."

Does "young people" refer to "children"?

If that is the case , are these sentences mean that, parents put children as their own happiness and children are also willing to be it, even though this puts a burden or creates anxiety in the children?

Answer

Young people = children

My understanding of the sentence highlighted by you in the heading is that psychologically parents use/need their children to be happy, to bring them happiness. They live through their children, e.g. by getting their children to fulfil the dreams the parents have never achieved. And the children comply with it, get on with it because they don;t know any other situation; they think it's normal.

I hope this helps

Jo.

Answer

I somewhat understand it as...the parent is happy if their child is happy. The parent is putting the childs happiness first, before their own, but the child being happy is also leading to their happiness.

I also think it can mean that the parent is living through their child vicariously, especially to achieve an accomplishment that the parent themselves were not able to achieve.