PhDepression: Examining How Graduate Research and Teaching Affect Depression in Life Sciences PhD Students

Gin, Logan E.; Wiesenthal, Nicholas J.; Ferreira, Isabella; Cooper, Katelyn M.

doi:10.1187/cbe.21-03-0077

Cited by 39 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Support seeking is critical for the socialization process of graduate students, often involving peers, friends, or family, but especially their advisors (Austin, 2003). Positive and close relationships between graduate students and their advisors often predict successful student outcomes, such as shorter time to degree, greater job satisfaction, and well-being (Ferrer De Valero, 2001;Beattie et al, 2006;Bagaka's et al, 2015;Sverdlik et al, 2018;German et al, 2019;Gin et al, 2021). GTAs often sought support from their personal and/or professional network when they needed reassurance about the quality of their work or emotional support to bolster their self-efficacy and perceived ability to cope (Jairam and Kahl, 2012).…”

Section: Certain Coping Strategies Were Used Preferentially To Manage Teaching or Research Anxietiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is especially salient among our graduate student population ( Nagy et al. , 2019 ; Gin et al. , 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As mental health problems such as depression and anxiety pervade academia (Evans et al, 2018;Lashuel, 2020), coping skills are integral for individuals to navigate stressors. This is especially salient among our graduate student population (Nagy et al, 2019;Gin et al, 2021). Graduate students are increasingly likely to report high levels of anxiety, affecting their overall mental health and attrition in graduate programs (Rummell, 2015;Levecque et al, 2017;Evans et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Graduate students are increasingly likely to report high levels of anxiety, affecting their overall mental health and attrition in graduate programs (Rummell, 2015;Levecque et al, 2017;Evans et al, 2018). Though graduate student mental health issues are starting to be explored in greater depth (Woolston, 2019;Gin et al, 2021), identifying how students cope with various stressors remains in its infancy. The objective of this study was to explore how a set of biology graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) coped with anxieties that were specifically generated by their distinct roles as teachers and as researchers at their university.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, 2018 ). Though graduate student mental health issues are starting to be explored in greater depth ( Woolston, 2019 ; Gin et al. , 2021 ), identifying how students cope with various stressors remains in its infancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

To Cope or Not to Cope? Characterizing Biology Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Coping with Teaching and Research Anxieties

Musgrove

Cooley

Feiten

et al. 2021

LSE

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Section: Certain Coping Strategies Were Used Preferentially To Manage Teaching or Research Anxietiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is especially salient among our graduate student population ( Nagy et al. , 2019 ; Gin et al. , 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

To Cope or Not to Cope? Characterizing Biology Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Coping with Teaching and Research Anxieties

Musgrove

Cooley

Feiten

et al. 2021

LSE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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The mental labyrinth of postgraduate research: a qualitative study of postgraduate mental health and wellbeing and the impact of the supervisory relationship

et al. 2023

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Postgraduate research students (PGRs) experience disproportionately high levels of psychological distress. Many factors contribute to this poor mental wellbeing and relate to each other in complex and dynamic ways. However, the relationship between PGRs and their supervisor(s) is known to strongly affect the wellbeing of the former. This study explores the mental health and wellbeing of PGRs with a focus on the role of the student—supervisor relationship. Using combined qualitative data from a large survey of PGRs and focus groups and reflexive thematic analysis, we found that PGRs experience the overarching process of obtaining a research degree as a mental labyrinth. Three constituent themes were identified: (1) inequity in navigating the labyrinth, (2) the labyrinth as a place of uncertainty and isolation, and (3) supervisors as labyrinth guides, not mental care providers. The results suggest that significant inequities exist which contribute to poorer mental wellbeing in particular subgroups of PGRs, both in general and specifically in relation to the supervisory relationship. Experiences of loneliness and ambiguity around progress were also identified as being detrimental to mental health. Furthermore, although supervisors can be a vital source of support and have a positive influence on PGR mental health, students recognise supervisors cannot reasonably be expected to act as professional mental health care providers and institutions must do more to provide equitable access to mental health support services.

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Graduate Student Women’s Perceptions of Faculty Careers: The Critical Role of Departmental Values and Support in Career Choice

Howe

Kim

Pazicni

2022

JACS Au

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While the number of women in undergraduate and graduate chemistry programs has increased in recent years, women remain under-represented and excluded in the ranks of faculty in chemistry higher education. This marginalization results from not only fewer women being offered faculty positions but also fewer women applying for these positions. To investigate the reasons why faculty positions are causing so many women to turn elsewhere for employment, a survey was designed based on the literature themes surrounding women’s career choices, interviews with the current graduate student women in chemistry programs, and our previous work. The survey was grounded in social cognitive career theory (SCCT), and data were analyzed through a QuantCrit lens. Despite the existing literature focusing on the impact of having children on women’s career decisions, the desire to have children did not appear among either the top priorities or the most important factors in predicting whether any of the 130 survey respondents were interested in a faculty career. Instead, faculty career interest was related to themes of overwork, high expectations from departments, and expected department emphasis on research despite an individual’s interest in teaching and mentoring. Furthermore, women expressed a strong interest in maintaining work–life balance but low expectations for their ability to obtain a position that would allow it. They also reported a desire to work for a department that values mental health and diversity and supports its community members but similarly low expectations for their ability to find a department that shares these values. These themes suggest that chemistry departments must make fundamental changes regarding what is tangibly valued and rewarded within their systems if they wish to reduce the exclusion of women in faculty positions.

show abstract

PhDepression: Examining How Graduate Research and Teaching Affect Depression in Life Sciences PhD Students

Cited by 39 publications

References 66 publications

To Cope or Not to Cope? Characterizing Biology Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Coping with Teaching and Research Anxieties

To Cope or Not to Cope? Characterizing Biology Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Coping with Teaching and Research Anxieties

The mental labyrinth of postgraduate research: a qualitative study of postgraduate mental health and wellbeing and the impact of the supervisory relationship

Graduate Student Women’s Perceptions of Faculty Careers: The Critical Role of Departmental Values and Support in Career Choice

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