A new study led by the University of Westminster in collaboration with researchers from the University of Sussex and Brighton and Sussex Medical School shows that 42% of PhD students consider developing a mental health problem a ‘normal’ part of the PhD process.
The researchers also found that more than a third (35.8%) of doctoral researchers considered ending or taking a break from their studies due to poor mental health, while just over 14% of doctoral researchers had formally suspended their studies due to mental health problems.
They discovered that compared to working professionals, PhD students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, and found initial evidence that PhD studies might be causative of this.
The study, published in Humanities & Social Sciences Communications and funded by Office for Students and Research England, investigated depression and anxiety levels through a nationwide survey of PhD students in the UK to ask them questions about their mental health. Over 3,000 PhD students completed the survey, as well as a matched control group of 1,168 working professionals.
PhD students reported significant anxiety and depression levels, a difference which was not explained by a higher rate of pre-existing mental health problems.
The new collaborative research, which is the biggest ever controlled study on PhD student mental health and the first of its kind based in the UK, examined the mental health of PhD students and some factors that might increase their risk or protect against poor mental health. It comes after a recent international survey conducted by Nature, which found that 36% of current doctoral researchers reported seeking help for anxiety and/or depression.
These new findings provide an evidence-based mandate for universities and funders to reflect upon practices related to doctoral researcher training and mental health. Attention should now be directed towards understanding what factors may explain heightened anxiety and depression among PhD students to inform preventative measures and interventions. To help achieve this, the researchers are currently analysing data looking at viable, specific risk factors associated with poor mental health amongst PhD students with the goal of developing policies, strategies and interventions to improve and protect PhD students’ mental health.
Talking about the research, lead author of the study Dr Cassie Hazell, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Westminster, said: “PhD students are a key part of the university community and are the future of research. Our findings demonstrate that a worrying proportion of PhD students are experiencing clinically significant levels of poor mental health that exceed those seen in other working professionals. It seems clear to us that there is something about the PhD process that is triggering mental health problems, and that a paradigm shift is needed. Without this change, PhD students, academia, and society as a whole will suffer.”
Professor Jeremy E. Niven, Dean of the Doctoral School at the University of Sussex, added: “Doctoral researchers are a key part of universities, they're future thinkers, innovators and leaders that are vital in building and sustaining our economy. Our research shows that they are particularly susceptible to some mental health difficulties that may be linked to the PhD itself. Universities and funding agencies really need to reconsider what is expected of a PhD Thesis or changes in the acceptable length of time over which funding is provided.”
Read the full paper in the Humanities & Social Sciences Communications journal.
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