We advance research on the association of educational expectation–attainment gaps with mental health by asking two questions that derive from the stress process and life course frameworks: (1) How does the association change over the early adult life course? and (2) To what extent is the association attributable to adult social roles and socioeconomic attainment? Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we find that close to the time when the expectation would have been realized, educational attainment is associated with mental health but expectations and the interaction between expectations and attainments are not, independent of selection factors. As respondents age, expectations themselves become more consistently associated with mental health. Adult social roles and socioeconomic status contribute little to explaining these associations. We discuss the implications for the stress process framework and life course research.
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