Mental Health of PhD Students at Polish Universities—Before the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Background: A group particularly exposed to the occurrence of disorders in the sphere of the psyche are young people with a newly developing personality structure and a sense of identity. In the available literature there are few reports describing the mental health of doctoral students—a group that is affected by a particular group of stressors. The aim of the research was to assess the mental health of PhD students at Polish universities. Material and Methods: The Polish adaptation of the GHQ Questionnaire-28, developed by David Goldberg et al. was used in the research. PhD students from all universities associated in the National Representation of Doctoral Students were invited to take part in the research. A total of 576 completed questionnaires were received. Results: It was found that depression is statistically more frequent in doctoral students who are not in any relationship with another person; anxiety/insomnia is more common in women than men and less frequently in doctoral students of general than in technical universities. Conclusions: (1) More than half of the surveyed students complain about the deterioration of mental health. The most commonly reported symptom groups are anxiety and insomnia, followed by social dysfunctions and somatic symptoms. (2) Depression is statistically more common in people who are not in any relationship with another person and anxiety and insomnia are statistically more common in women than in men and statistically less frequent in doctoral students of general universities than technical universities. (3) In view of the presented results, educating young adults in the field of self-awareness in the field of mental health seems to be particularly important.

Somatic Symptoms, Anxiety, and Depression Among College Students in the Czech Republic and Slovakia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Among Czech students, first-degree students were less likely to have anxiety and depression and second-degree students were less likely to have anxiety compared to third-degree students. These findings indicate that doctoral students can be considered a risk group (31). The truth is that the degree of study should not be underestimated when examining students' mental health.…”

“…In other words, students' anxiety has a negative effect on their academic motivation ( 29 ). It is also possible to point out the somatic complaints that can occur in college students, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 30 , 31 ). Somatic complaints are serious concomitant symptoms of poor mental health and should not be overlooked in research.…”

Internet Addiction, Symptoms of Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Stress Among Higher Education Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Overall, it can be concluded that the degree of study is a factor that needs increased attention, especially in terms of anxiety. In view of the results, there is a need to monitor third-degree students, as emphasized by Kowalczyk et al ( 37 ). Other studies have also shown that the study degree is an important factor in examining mental health problems among students ( 38 , 39 ).…”

“…Following the above-mentioned facts, college students around the world often suffered from stress, depression, and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by the high prevalence rates found in various studies ( 13 , 15 , 18 , 34 – 36 ). These problems vary from student to student, but it is well-known that study-related characteristics such as degree of study ( 37 – 39 ), form of study ( 39 , 40 ), field of study ( 3 , 41 – 43 ), and distance from home and family while studying ( 44 – 47 ) play an important role. Evidence shows that all of the mentioned mental health problems are positively associated with inadequate-self and hated-self among college students ( 48 ).…”

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“…These results are quite interesting given the importance that mental health is currently gaining as it has been highlighted by several research studies in different countries around the world [5][6] . Linked to this, these observations have become more relevant and evident after the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of doctoral students [7][8][9] .…”