Determinants of Academicians’ Mental Health in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Due to the nature of the demanding working circumstances, most academicians at higher education institutions have therefore been vulnerable to experiencing mental health issues. This present study aims to investigate the prominent factors that influence academics' mental health in higher education through systematic reviews. In detail, this study is intended to analyze the trends, patterns, and knowledge gaps on the factors affecting mental health. Using the PRISMA protocol to identify and analyze datasets from the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. In this present study, twenty-one papers were selected and analyzed. The findings indicate a robust influence of job demand on mental health among academicians in higher education. These review papers reveal that there is an increasing amount of research on the factors influencing the mental health of academicians in higher education. The findings highlight a worrying pattern of increasing job pressures and an increase in the frequency of mental health issues among academicians. Thus, there is a critical need for focused treatments and academic support networks to mitigate the increasing demands placed on faculty members and protect their mental health. This study contributes to the literature by focusing on mental health, primarily the job demands of academicians in the context of higher education institutions.