The Mental Health Crisis
Much of the latest buzz around graduate student mental health stems from a report by Evans et al. (2018) in Nature Biotechnology (apologies for the pay wall). This study spanned 26 countries and 234 institutions, with a sample size of 2,279 graduate students (of these 90% were in PhD programs). Roughly 38% were in natural or physical sciences, 2% were in engineering, and 56% were in the humanities or social sciences. The authors administered PHQ-9 and GAD-7 surveys via social media and mail. The primary finding was that graduate students are 6 times more likely to suffer from depression and/or anxiety than the general population. Some additional findings include:
That's a lot to take in! InsideHigherEd reported on this work and the mental health crisis in graduate education.
Despite this work, much of the efforts regarding mental health on college and university campuses focus on undergraduates. Graduate school is certainly a naturally stressful period of life, but the rates of mental illness are strikingly high and grounds for a crisis. Additional factors impact graduate students outside of their studies, such as financial strain; complexes relationships with peers, students, advisors, mentors, committees, and more; dwindling job markets; social media; current events, including climate change; and more. Harvard University conducted a follow-up study on some of their graduate students. Their results are generally consistent with Evans et al. (2018), finding heightened rates of depression and anxiety among graduate students. Furthermore, a startling high number of graduate students have considered suicide (suicide is the 2nd most likely cause of death for young people in the U.S.). It is important to note that Harvard University has 55 clinicians for their 20,000 students (about 1:400), a fairly good ratio with respect to other campuses in the U.S. Another important aspect to consider when probing graduate student mental health is the power dynamic between professors and graduate students, too often manifest in harassment and bullying. This work has prompted some calls for additional resources for graduate students, increased salaries, subsidized housing options, streamlined degree programs, and more, but little has been done at most universities. Mental illness weighs even heavier on students already struggling with other disabilities, but it will require a major cultural change on campus to make a difference. Rates of mental illness among young people, from high school to graduate school, have increased dramatically over the decades, and many graduate students battle stigma and dismissive attitudes about how graduate school hasn't changed and it's the students fault. One possible reason for this increased prevalence is the rise of social media, which has been linked to mental health conditions. In fact, a recent study found that limiting social media use to 30 minutes per day can dramatically reduce depression, loneliness, and FOMO.
- 41% scored as having moderate or severe anxiety
- 39% scored as having moderate or severe depression
- 55% of transgender or gender non-conforming students had depression, and 57% had anxiety
- 41% of women had depression, and 43% had anxiety
- 35% of men had depression, and 34% had anxiety
- Work-life balance is correlated with depression and anxiety rates
- 1/2 of all students believe their advisor/PI/mentor provides real mentorship
- 1/2 of students with depression and/or anxiety do not believe their advisor/PI/mentor provides ample support
- Roughly 1/2 of students with depression and/or anxiety do not believe their advisor/PI/mentor is an asset to their career
- Roughly 1/2 of students with depression and/or anxiety do not feel valued their advisor/PI/mentor
- A strong relationship between strong and supportive mentoring relationships and lower likelihood of depression and/or anxiety
That's a lot to take in! InsideHigherEd reported on this work and the mental health crisis in graduate education.
Despite this work, much of the efforts regarding mental health on college and university campuses focus on undergraduates. Graduate school is certainly a naturally stressful period of life, but the rates of mental illness are strikingly high and grounds for a crisis. Additional factors impact graduate students outside of their studies, such as financial strain; complexes relationships with peers, students, advisors, mentors, committees, and more; dwindling job markets; social media; current events, including climate change; and more. Harvard University conducted a follow-up study on some of their graduate students. Their results are generally consistent with Evans et al. (2018), finding heightened rates of depression and anxiety among graduate students. Furthermore, a startling high number of graduate students have considered suicide (suicide is the 2nd most likely cause of death for young people in the U.S.). It is important to note that Harvard University has 55 clinicians for their 20,000 students (about 1:400), a fairly good ratio with respect to other campuses in the U.S. Another important aspect to consider when probing graduate student mental health is the power dynamic between professors and graduate students, too often manifest in harassment and bullying. This work has prompted some calls for additional resources for graduate students, increased salaries, subsidized housing options, streamlined degree programs, and more, but little has been done at most universities. Mental illness weighs even heavier on students already struggling with other disabilities, but it will require a major cultural change on campus to make a difference. Rates of mental illness among young people, from high school to graduate school, have increased dramatically over the decades, and many graduate students battle stigma and dismissive attitudes about how graduate school hasn't changed and it's the students fault. One possible reason for this increased prevalence is the rise of social media, which has been linked to mental health conditions. In fact, a recent study found that limiting social media use to 30 minutes per day can dramatically reduce depression, loneliness, and FOMO.
Sources
I've attempted to summarize some of the latest research and headlines here. None of this research is my own, and I typically utilize plain-language articles as I am not in expert in mental health research. If you know of an important piece of research missing from here, or if I have mischaracterized any of the work I report, please feel free to let me know under the Contact tab.
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