Stressful life events (SLEs) are traditionally conceptualized as external triggers of mental disorders. However, accumulating evidence suggests a reverse pathway, whereby individuals with elevated psychopathology may contribute to the occurrence of future stress—a process termed stress generation. Despite its theoretical importance, this pathway has not been quantitatively synthesized across the literature. In this original meta-analysis, we aggregated data from 33 longitudinal studies (N = 18,684; 126 effect sizes) to examine how baseline psychopathology predicts subsequent exposure to life stress. Results revealed a significant prospective association, with baseline psychopathology predicting later dependent stress (r = .12), and to a lesser extent, independent stress (r = .06). These effects were consistent across various measures, populations, and study designs. Moreover, dependent stress—but not independent stress—emerged as a significant mediator of the link between initial psychopathology and later symptoms, even after adjusting for prior stress exposure. These findings highlight the unique role of dependent stress in sustaining the cycle between mental health and adverse life events.