A longitudinal study of mental wellbeing in students that transition into PhD study

Abstract

Journal editorials, career features, and the popular press, commonly talk of a graduate student mental health crisis. To date, studies on graduate student mental health have employed cross-sectional designs, limiting any causal conclusions regarding the relationship between graduate student and mental health. Here, we present the first longitudinal study on mental health in PhD students. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of undergraduate students in New Zealand, allowing us to compare students who did, and did not, transition into PhD study following the completion of their undergraduate degree. Using multilevel Bayesian regression, we detected a 0.09 standard deviation decrease in mental health for students who enter PhD study. This finding is orders of magnitude smaller than one might expect based on previous cross-sectional research and provide an important message; that poor mental health is not an inevitable consequence of graduate study.

“How is your thesis going?”–Ph.D. students’ perspectives on mental health and stress in academia

“…In a cross-sectional study, we investigate the current situation of Ph.D. students. While this is a valid and important instrument to access the current state, it cannot give us information about the dynamic changes in the transition phase between undergraduate studies and the Ph.D. as well as across the Ph.D. [ 51 ]. To track these changes or make comparisons over time, a longitudinal study design or propensity score matching procedures [ 52 ] could give further insights.…”