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Path to Adulthood: How Role Transition Impacts Perceived Stress
Britney Beals
Department of Psychology, Oregon State University
Psy 301: Research Methods in Psychology
Dr. Ciara Kidder
March 25, 2023
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Abstract
Role transitions are shifts in an individual’s social identity or social role that are more
common during the period of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2001). This research explored
whether there was a relationship between achievement of role transition and perceived stress.
Three-thousand, one-hundred and thirty-four participants completed both the Markers of
Adulthood questionnaire and Cohen’s 10-item Perceived Stress Scale. Scores for role transition
achievement were averaged and ranged on a scale from 1-3, with lower scores indicating greater
role transition achievement; scores for perceived stress were also averaged and ranged on a scale
from 1-5 with greater scores indicating more perceived stress. No relationship was found
between role transition achievement and perceived stress.
Keywords: Role transition, emerging adulthood, perceived stress
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Path to Adulthood: How Role Transition Impacts Perceived Stress
Emerging adulthood, the ages between 18 and 29 in which we begin our path to
becoming adults, is marked by a series of role transitions: getting married, having children,
obtaining employment, and finishing education (Arnett, 2001). While we may experience role
transitions throughout our lives, role transitions are the most common during emerging
adulthood. Some of these transitions may be planned, welcomed change, while other transitions
may come unexpectedly. Often, we associate these life changes with higher levels of stress.
However, research has yet to substantiate that role transitions on their own are correlated with
higher levels of perceived stress.
Prior research on perceived stress in emerging adulthood due to role transitions has found
that the way we view our role transitions or amount of role transitions may contribute to
increased perceived stress (Bell & Lee, 2008; Wheaton, 1990; Barlett, Barlett & Chalk, 2020).
The Transition Overload Model asserts that more transitions result in a feeling of instability that
increases perceived stress as well as increases use of unhealthy coping mechanisms such as
heavy episodic drinking (Cadigan et. al., 2021). If an individual reported a transition as having a
“negative” or “extremely negative” impact on their life, the individual also reported having a
greater amounts of perceived stress (Cadigan et. al., 2021). Transitions that appear to cause the
greatest increases in perceived stress are transitions outside of the “norm,” or outside of one’s
expectations, and transitions that involved failing to meet benchmark transitions typical of
emerging adulthood, such as securing employment (Bell & Lee, 2008). Additionally, women are
more likely to report higher levels of perceived stress than men (Barlett, Barlett & Chalk, 2020;
Matud, Bethencourt & Ibáñez, 2020), however, researchers found no significant difference in the
number of life events or transitions that women experience in comparison to men.
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Research also suggests that role transitions may provide a temporary reprieve from
perceived stress (Cadigan et. al., 2021; Bell & Lee, 2008; Wheaton, 1990). According to
Wheaton (1990), “Instead of being stressful, life events at times may be either unproblematic or
beneficial by offering escape from a chronically stressful role situation” [209]. An individual’s
role history, or background on prior roles that they have held, can change the way a role
transition is viewed (Wheaton, 1990). For example, a decrease in perceived stress was
discovered in young women in Australia who went from being single to married (Bell & Lee,
2008). This could be because marriage provided an additional partner to split household duties
and chores with which in turn reduced stress, or because achieving marriage is often associated
with reaching adulthood and therefore is a reinforcer that one is an adult. Wheaton also posits
that some events may be inherently stressful regardless of the role context because they require a
shift and transformation in an individual’s identity (Wheaton, 1990). Conversely, when a
transition is found to have mental health benefits, any stress the transition itself may have had on
an individual becomes cancelled out by the benefits of transitioning out of the old role (Bell &
Lee, 2008).
A potential moderator of whether an individual experiences stress as the result of role
transitions is having self-efficacy, or believing one has the skills necessary to complete a task,
and self-esteem (Madson et. al., 2022; Matud, Bethencourt & Ibáñez, 2020). The greater amount
of self-efficacy one believes themselves to have, the lower amount of perceived stress they have
(Madson et. al., 2022). Similarly, low self-esteem can affect an individual’s ability to cope and
increase perceived stress (Matud, Bethencourt & Ibáñez, 2020). This has important implications
that perceived stress can be reduced through increasing an individual’s coping skills and
strengthening their self-esteem.
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In the present study, the affects of role transition on perceived stress on participants, will
be examined. Data will be collected through the administration of self-report surveys.
Researchers expect to find that there is a correlation between role transitions and perceived stress
such that the greater number of role transitions a person is experiencing, perceived levels of
stress also increase.
Method
Participants and Procedure
Researchers found participants and collected data through social media (Facebook and Twitter),
as well as found participants locally by recruiting students from nearby universities and colleges
(Grahe et. al 2018). The data collection procedures can be found on the EAMMi2 Development
and Recruitment Plan document on the Samples and Procedures Component (Grahe et. al 2018).
After removing any participants who did not follow survey procedures properly, the final data set
was (N = 3,134). Of the respondents, 72.8% were women (𝑁𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 = 2280, 𝑁𝑚𝑒𝑛 =771) and 96%
of the sample were age 29 or younger, though data was collected from ages ranged 18-61.
Additionally, responses were collected from a diverse range of ethnic and racial identities, with
63.5% of participants identifying as White, 7.6% identifying as Black, 8.7% Hispanic/Latino,
6.5% Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American 0.4% and “Other” 2.2%, with 8.6% of participants
identifying as two racial categories and 1.4% identifying as three or more. 1.0% chose not to
respond (Grahe et. al 2018).
Participants were sent a link to the EAMMi2 survey through email which they were instructed to
complete privately. Participants received informed consent and if presented with the survey in
person, they were further debriefed by the researcher (Grahe et. al 2018).
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Measures
Demographics
Various demographics were collected on the participants. These demographics include the
participant’s school, level of education, gender, number of siblings, ethnicity, whether they are a
U.S. citizen and number of years as a U.S. citizen, or if not, the country they are a resident of,
whether they are a member of the armed forces and number of years as an armed service
member, and household income.
Perceived Stress
Cohen’s 10-item Perceived Stress Scale was administered to participants (Cohen et. al 1983).
The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) asks individuals to reflect on feelings and thoughts of stress
and anxiety in the last month. Questions the PSS asks include: “In the last month, how often
have you felt nervous and ‘stressed?’” and “How often have you felt like you were on top of
things?” Items are answered on a Likert-scale from 0 being “never,” to 4 being “very often”
(Cohen et. al 1983). Questions 4, 5, 7, and 8 are reverse scored, then the scores are added up
with higher scores being indicative of higher levels of perceived stress (Cohen et. al 1983).
Role Transitions
The Markers of Adulthood questionnaire was administered to participants, measuring an
individual’s conception of the transition to adulthood along four different subscales, including
role transition, normative compliance, relational maturity, and independence (Arnett 2001).
Individuals were asked how much they thought they had achieved certain milestones related to
adulthood on a 1 to 3 scale, with 1 meaning “not,” 2 meaning "somewhat” and 3 meaning "yes”
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(Arnett 2001). Regarding role transition, items include: “No longer living in parent’s
household,” “finished with education,” and “be employed full-time” (Arnett 2001). Lower
scores are associated with having reached adulthood.
Results
The present study set to examine the relationship between achievement of role transitions
and perceived stress. The researchers hypothesized that the relationship existed such that the
more role transitions an individual was experiencing, the more perceived stress an individual
would have.
Is There a Relationship between Role Transitions and Perceived Stress?
Participant’s scores on the achievement portion of role transition from the Markers of
Adulthood Scale were averaged, with lower scores indicating a greater level of achievement on
role transition items. Figure 1 demonstrates the distribution of scores for role transition
achievement.
Figure 1
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Fig. 1 Shows the distribution of the average role transition achievement scores. The distribution
is left-skewed with more individuals reporting greater achievement of role transition.
Additionally, participant’s scores on the Perceived Stress Scale were averaged on a scale
of 1-5 with greater scores indicating greater perceived stress. Figure 2 demonstrates the
distribution of scores for perceived stress.
Figure 2
Fig. 2 Shows the distribution of the average perceived stress. The distribution follows a normal
bell-curve shape.
Participants showed average levels of achievement on role transition items (M = 1.467,
SD = 0.493). Participants scored slightly high on perceived stress (M = 3.267, SD = 0.407).
To determine whether there was a relationship between average perceived stress score
and average role transition achievement score, a Pearson’s R correlation test was run. There is no
evidence of a statistically significant relationship between role transition achievement and
perceived stress, r = 0.030, p = 0.409.
Discussion
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In the current study, I examined whether there was a relationship between achievement of role
transitions and perceived stress. Role transitions are shifts in social identity or social position,
including getting married, having children, obtaining employment, and finishing education
(Arnett, 2001). These role transitions are often more frequent during emerging adulthood, a
period between ages 18-29 where an individual develops into an adult (Arnett, 2001).
Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale and Markers of Adulthood questionnaire,
reporting the amount of perceived stress they believed they had and their perceived achievement
on various role transition items. I hypothesized that higher scores for role transition achievement
would be associated with higher levels of perceived stress.
The data presented did not support the prediction that higher role transition achievement
scores are correlated with higher levels of perceived stress. In fact, there was no relationship at
all found between perceived stress and role transition achievement.
Findings from this study are in line with previous research on the topic of role transitions
and stress. It could be that an individual’s self-efficacy or ability to cope may provide
moderation that negates the stressful effects of a role transition (Madson et. al., 2022; Matud,
Bethencourt & Ibáñez, 2020). Additionally, an individual’s perception of the role transition,
whether they consider the role transition to be “good,” or “bad,” may have a greater impact on
perceived stress than the role transition itself (Bell & Lee, 2008; Wheaton, 1990; Barlett, Barlett
& Chalk, 2020).
Like most research, the current study is presented with limitations. Participants were
mainly recruited through college campuses, meaning the sample is largely made up of collegeeducated individuals. For a more representative sample of the current population, recruiters could
have recruited using other methods off-campuses. Additionally, demographic information was
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collected for this study which may have affected how an individual answers self-report items.
Future research on this topic in the form of an experimental research study controlling for more
confounding variables may be necessary to get more significant results.
This study explored the relationship between achievement of role transitions and
perceived stress of individuals. The study did not find a significant relationship between
achievement of role transition and perceived stress.
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