Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): Business & Management Studies: An International Journal
Articles

The effect of career stress on life satisfaction: A study on undergraduate tourism students

PDF (Turkish)
  • Yusuf Ziya Akbaş
Yusuf Ziya Akbaş
Assist. Prof. Dr., Çankırı Karatekin University, Çankırı, Türkiye

Published 2026-06-25

Keywords

  • Career Stress, Life Satisfaction, Tourism Students
  • Kariyer Stresi, Yaşam Doyumu, Turizm Öğrencileri

How to Cite

The effect of career stress on life satisfaction: A study on undergraduate tourism students. (2026). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 14(2), 879-897. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v14i2.2762

Copyright (c) 2026 Yusuf Ziya Akbaş

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

The effect of career stress on life satisfaction: A study on undergraduate tourism students. (2026). Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 14(2), 879-897. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v14i2.2762

Abstract

Career stress is a phenomenon that arises during the process of an individual constructing their own career. Life satisfaction, on the other hand, is an individual's assessment of their quality of life based on their self-determined criteria. This study aims to examine the effect of career stress levels on the life satisfaction of undergraduate tourism students. A quantitative research design was used, and data were collected via convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 416 undergraduate students from the Tourism Faculties of Çankırı Karatekin, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli, Kastamonu, and Erciyes Universities. The survey technique was used as the data collection tool, and the collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results showed that all sub-dimensions of career stress had a significant negative effect on life satisfaction. The strongest effect was employment pressure (β = -0.332), followed by external conflict (β =- 0.192) and career ambiguity and lack of information (β = -0.136). The results show that tourism students' anxieties regarding post-graduation employment are the primary factor reducing their life satisfaction. The results were discussed in relation to the relevant literature, and recommendations were made for educational institutions, policymakers and sector representatives.

 

PDF (Turkish)

References

  1. Alleyne, M., Alleyne, P., & Greenidge, D. (2010). Life satisfaction and perceived stress among university students in Barbados. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 20(2), 291-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2010.10820378
  2. Alrawadieh, D. D. (2021). Does employability anxiety trigger psychological distress and academic major dissatisfaction? A Study on tour guiding students. Journal of Tourismology, 7(1), 55-71. https://doi.org/10.26650/jot.2021.7.1.0003
  3. Aras, E., & Yay, A. (2026). Üniversite öğrencilerinde kariyer kaygısı, algılanan sosyal destek ve yaşam doyumu arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi. EKEV Akademi Dergisi, 105, 357-369. doi:10.17753/sosekev.1778924
  4. Beutell, N. (2006). Sloan Network Encyclopedia Entry. https://wfrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Life-Satisfaction-encyclopedia.pdf
  5. Brief, A. P., Butcher, A. H. George, J. M., & Link, K. E. (1993). Integrating bottom-up and top-down theories of subjective well-being: The case of health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(4), 646–653. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.4.646
  6. Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1992). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing Structural Equation Models (pp. 136-162). Sage.
  7. Choi, B. Y., Park, H., Nam, S. K., Lee, J., Cho, D., & Lee, S. M. (2011). The development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Korean Career Stress Inventory for college students. The Career Development Quarterly, 59(6), 559-572. http://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2011.tb00976.x
  8. Choi, H. R. (1986). Stress of Korean university students and cognitive behavioral counseling Doctoral Dissertation. Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea.
  9. Choy, M. W., & Yeung, A. S. (2022). Career choice of tourism students in a triple-whammy crisis. PLoS One, 17(12), e0279411. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279411
  10. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
  11. Creed, P. A., Hood, M., & Hu, S. (2017). Personal orientation as an antecedent to career stress and employability confidence: The intervening roles of career goal-performance discrepancy and career goal importance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 99, 79-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.12.007
  12. Cummins, R. A. (1996). The domains of life satisfaction: An attempt to order chaos. Social Indicators Research, 38, 303-328. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292811
  13. Darling, C. A., McWey, L. M., Howard, S. N., & Olmstead, S. B. (2007). College student stress: The influence of interpersonal relationships on sense of coherence. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 23(4), 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1139
  14. Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542
  15. Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71-75. http://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
  16. Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276-302. http://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276
  17. Elsayed, H. A. E. (2025). Perceived stress and life satisfaction among university students: The mediating and moderating roles of coping strategies and personality traits. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1593555. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1593555
  18. Emirel, M., & Bozkurt, Ö. (2022). Kariyer stresi ile belirsizlikten kaçınma arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi: Sigortacılık ve sosyal güvenlik bölümü öğrencileri üzerine bir araştırma. Çalışma İlişkileri Dergisi, 13(1), 1-16. https://izlik.org/JA62UG35PX
  19. Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1985). If it changes it must be a process: study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination. Journal of personality and social psychology, 48(1), 150. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.48.1.150
  20. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
  21. Freire, C., Ferradás, M. D. M., Regueiro, B., Rodríguez, S., Valle, A., & Núñez, J. C. (2020). Coping strategies and self-efficacy in university students: A person-centered approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 841. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00841
  22. George, D., & Mallery, P. (2010). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple guide and reference, 17.0. Pearson.
  23. Grobelna, A. (2022). A study–life conflict and its impact on tourism and hospitality students' burnout and their employment aspirations. Sustainability, 14(11), 6608. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116608
  24. Güler, C., Siyahtaş, A., & Çakır, V. O. (2023). Spor bilimleri fakültesi öğrencilerinin yaşam doyumunu yordayan bir faktör; kariyer stresi: Tanımlayıcı araştırma. Türkiye Klinikleri Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 15(1), 159-168. doi:10.5336/sportsci.2022-92755
  25. Günay, A., & Çelik, R. (2019). Kariyer stresinin psikolojik iyi oluş ve iyimserlik değişkenleriyle yordanması: Halkla ilişkiler ve tanıtım öğrencileri örneği. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 33, 205-218. https://izlik.org/JA59RE96AP
  26. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
  27. Headey, B., Veenhoven, R., & Wearing, A. (1991). Top-down versus bottom-up theories of subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 24(1), 81-100. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292649
  28. Heller, D. (2003). The dynamic process of life satisfaction: The role of job and marital satisfaction, life events, personality and mood (Doctoral Dissertation). The University of Iowa.
  29. Holinka, C. (2015). Stress, emotional intelligence, and life satisfaction in college students. College Student Journal, 49(2), 300-311.
  30. Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
  31. Jang, H. S. (2000). The sources of stress of university students and their coping strategies. Journal of Student Guidance Research, 32(1), 101-115.
  32. Jang, J. E. (2022). Effect of career stress and oral health-related self-efficacy on school life satisfaction of male high school students. Journal of the Korea Entertainment Industry Association (JKEIA), 16(1), 95. http://doi.org/10.21184/jkeia.2022.1.16.1.95
  33. Keskin, E., Yayla, Ö., & Aktaş, F. (2020). Duygusal zekâ, kariyer uyumu ve yaşam doyumu arasındaki ilişkiler: Turizm Sektörü Çalışanları Üzerine Bir Araştırma, İşletme Araştırmaları Dergisi, 12(3), 2985-2995. https://doi.org/10.20491/isarder.2020.1021
  34. Kim, S. K. (2003). Life stress in freshman and adjustment to college. Korean Journal of Youth Studies, 10(2), 215-237.
  35. Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
  36. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.
  37. Lee, J., Kim, E., & Wachholtz, A. (2016). The effect of perceived stress on life satisfaction: The mediating effect of self-efficacy. Ch'ongsonyonhak Yongu, 23(10), 29. https://doi.org/10.21509/kjys.2016.10.23.10.29
  38. Mathew, J., & Suminamol, C. S. (2025). Academic stress and life satisfaction among college students. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 13(1), 1234-1241. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i02.42658
  39. Milas, G., Martinović Klarić, I., Malnar, A., Saftić, V., Šupe-Domić, D., & Slavich, G. M. (2021). The impact of stress and coping strategies on life satisfaction in a national sample of adolescents: A structural equation modelling approach. Stress and Health, 37(5), 1026-1034. http://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3050
  40. Moksnes, U. K., Løhre, A., Lillefjell, M., Byrne, D. G., & Haugan, G. (2016). The association between school stress, life satisfaction and depressive symptoms in adolescents: life satisfaction as a potential mediator. Social Indicators Research, 125(1), 339-357. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0781-1
  41. Neugarten, B. L., Havighurst, R. J., & Tobin, S. S. (1961). The measurement of life satisfaction. Journal of Gerontology, 16, 134-143. http://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/16.2.134
  42. Özden, K., & Sertel-Berk, Ö. (2017). Kariyer stresi ölçeği’nin (KSÖ) Türkçe'ye uyarlanması ve psikometrik özelliklerinin sınanması. Psikoloji Çalışmaları, 37(1), 35-51. https://izlik.org/JA73PB99GZ
  43. Park, H., Choi, B. Y., Nam, S. K., & Lee, S. M. (2011). The role of career stress in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and career attitude maturity in South Korean undergraduates. Journal of Employment Counseling, 48(1), 27-36. http://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2011.tb00108.x
  44. Paschali, A., & Tsitsas, G. (2010). Stress and life satisfaction among university students-a pilot study. Annals of General Psychiatry, 9(1), 96. http://doi.org/10.1186/1744-859X-9-S1-S96
  45. Pascoe, M. C., Hetrick, S. E., & Parker, A. G. (2020). The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 104-112. http://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823
  46. Pasupuleti, S., Allen, R. I., Lambert, E. G., & Cluse-Tolar, T. (2009). The impact of work stressors on the life satisfaction of social service workers: A preliminary study. Administration in Social Work, 33(3), 319-339. http://doi.org/10.1080/0364310690293361
  47. Patel, H. R. (2011). An Investigation of the Big Five and Narrow Personality Traits in Relation to Life Satisfaction (Master Thesis). The University of Tennessee.
  48. Polat, F. B. (2022). Kariyer stresinin ve kariyer kararlılığının psikolojik iyi oluş üzerindeki etkisi. Anadolu Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 23(2), 62-80. http://doi.org/10.53443/anadoluibfd.1112084
  49. Roddenberry, A. C. (2007). Locus of control and self-efficacy: Potential mediators of stress, illness, and utilisation of health services in college students (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Florida, Orlando, Florida.
  50. Sekaran, U. (2003). Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley & Sons.
  51. Shi, M., Wang, X., Bian, Y., & Wang, L. (2015). The mediating role of resilience in the relationship between stress and life satisfaction among Chinese medical students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Medical Education, 15(1), 16. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-015-0297-2
  52. Shin, D. C., & Johnson, D. M. (1978). Avowed happiness as an overall assessment of the quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 5(1), 475-492. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00371127
  53. Stratton, S. J. (2021). Population research: convenience sampling strategies. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 36(4), 373-374. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X21000649
  54. Taburan, V. (1993). Factors affecting the life satisfaction of retired Thai military officers (Doctoral Dissertation). United States International University.
  55. Temeloğlu, E., & Aksu, M. (2016). Turizm eğitimi alan öğrencilerin kişilik özelliklerinin turizmde kariyer yapma istekleri üzerindeki etkisi: Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi örneği. Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 9(43), 1513-1521.
  56. Temiz, M., Yurdusever, S. S., Baytar, S., & Bakır, N. (2026). Career stress, resilience, coping, and life satisfaction among nursing students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing, 25, 379. doi:10.1186/s12912-026-04477-3
  57. Turpcu, E., & Akyurt, H. (2018). Turizm eğitimi alan öğrencilerin kariyer streslerinin belirlenmesi: Giresun Üniversitesi lisans öğrencileri üzerine bir araştırma. The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies, 69, 365–380. https://doi.org/10.9761/JASSS7612
  58. Towbes, L. C., & Cohen, L. H. (1996). Chronic stress in the lives of college students: Scale development and prospective prediction of distress. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25(2), 199-217. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537344
  59. Veenhoven, R. (1991). Is happiness relative? Social Indicators Research, 24(1), 1-34. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292651
  60. Veenhoven, R. (1996). The study of life satisfaction. In W. E. Saris, R. Veenhoven, A. C. Scherpenzeel, & B. Bunting (Eds.), A comparative study of satisfaction with life in Europe (pp. 11–48). Eötvös University Press.
  61. You, S., & Yoo, J. (2021). Relations among socially prescribed perfectionism, career stress, mental health, and mindfulness in Korean college students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 12248. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212248
  62. Yetim, Ü. (1991). Kişisel projelerin organizasyonu ve örüntüsü açısından yaşam doyumu (Doktora Tezi). Ege Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Psikoloji Ana Bilim Dalı, İzmir.
  63. Zhan, L. (1992). Quality of life: Conceptual and measurement issues. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17(7), 795-800. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.1992.tb02000.x
  64. Zhang, Z., Yu, X., & Liu, X. (2022). Do I decide my career? Linking career stress, career exploration, and future work self to career planning or indecision. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 997984. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.997984