Towards the contributing factors for stress confronting Chinese PhD students

Abstract

Purpose: A review of literature reveals that stress is prevalent among PhD students who are experiencing higher levels of stress than age-matched general population normative data, and has drawn attention worldwide. However, few studies have examined the factors influencing the psychological well-being of Chinese PhD students and the type of supports most needed. Method: This study was conducted by a qualitative method employing the Grounded Theory. Through purposive sampling, 10 Chinese PhD students were selected on the basis of theoretical sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the participants. Results: Chinese PhD students experienced stress of nuanced nature at their varied years of PhD study. The obtained codes were categorized under four themes, including graduation, job prospects, relationship and other factors. Conclusion: Chinese PhD students experienced stress from a variety of sources, corroborating with and reinforcing previous research findings. By exposing the explanations of the factors for stress confronting Chinese PhD students, this study compels us rethink the relationship between the widely existing stress and relevant policy or regulations, and proposes suggestions for counselling and policy reform.

The impact of working in academia on researchers’ mental health and well-being: A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis

“…“I am green with envy and stressful when I see my classmates at college are well-settled down in their career while I am still struggling for a PhD , my career still being an illusion” (Doctoral researcher, China—[ 49 ]).…”

“…It should also be noted that the views of researchers who have experienced difficulties with their mental health or well-being may arguably be more prevalent across the included papers (and thus, more represented in our analysis), as these experiences may make them more inclined to participate in research exploring these concepts [ 48 ]. Similarly, some of the included papers specifically sought out participants with symptoms of a mental health difficulty [ 39 ], and others specifically focused on examining more negative constructs which could contribute to poorer mental health and well-being, such as stress [ 49 ].…”

Anxiety Status of Female Chinese Ph.D. Candidates and Its Association with Sports

“…Studies found that men are more likely to participate in sports than women. The same situation also exists in college students [ 22 ].…”

“Why should a ‘foreigner’ be better than me?”: preferential practices in junior academic faculty recruitment among mainland Chinese universities

“…As explained by an HR informant, the strategy was to spot those who would have many papers published. Unlike the domestic programmes which had made journal publication mandatory for PhD students (Wang et al, 2019 ), the overseas institutions often left it for their students to decide whether or when they would like to publish their research. Hence, in disciplines where research publication took time, it would be strategic to “save” the publication for later.…”

“…With China becoming a more experienced exporter of international students, Chinese students who plan to study abroad have been better informed to prepare for a smoother experience than their predecessors. Meanwhile, their domestically trained peers may have to spend longer time in the programme for reasons such as unemployability and institutional barriers against graduation (Wang et al, 2019 ), hence a reduced age disparity. This and related emerging trends warrant further research on how the hypothesised competition scenario plays out in the real world.…”