Mental Health and Career Intentions Among Young Adults

Poor mental health has been shown to influence career-related behaviours and outcomes; however, limited research has examined how young adults’ mental health is related to their career intentions. Guided by the Conservation of Resources theory, this study examined how loneliness and psychological distress relate to career aspirations and motivations to lead, and whether recovery moderates these relationships. Additionally, this study investigated whether loneliness and distress are related to intentions to pursue public sector work (e.g., military service), an area that remains underexplored in vocational research. Participants included 256 university students who completed an online survey. Results suggested that lower loneliness was associated with higher career aspirations, while psychological distress had no significant relationship with career aspirations. Results also suggested that neither loneliness nor psychological distress had a significant relationship with motivation to lead. Exploratory data analyses revealed that neither loneliness nor distress was related to public service motivation. Unexpectedly, the moderation analyses showed that recovery amplified the effects of loneliness and distress on career aspirations, as well as the relationship between loneliness and motivation to lead. These findings underscore the importance of examining how mental health can shape young adults’ career intentions and suggest that recovery may play a nuanced role in this process.