Understanding the Graduate Student Mental Health Crisis In Academia

2024

Busch CA, Wiesenthal NJ, Gin LE, & Cooper KM. Behind the graduate mental health crisis in science. Nature Biotechnology.

Bergvall, S., Fernström, C., Ranehill, E., & Sandberg, A. The Impact of PhD Studies on Mental Health—A Longitudinal Population Study. SSRN.

2023

Wiesenthal NJ, Gin LE, Cooper KM. Face negotiation in graduate school: The decision to conceal or reveal depression among life sciences Ph.D. students in the United States. International Journal of STEM Education.

2021

Charles, S. T., Karnaze, M. M., & Leslie, F. M. Positive factors related to graduate student mental health. Journal of American College Health.

Gin LE, Wiesenthal NJ, Ferreira I, Cooper KM. PhDepression: Examining how graduate research and teaching affect depression in life sciences Ph.D. students. CBE Life Sciences Education.

Musgrove, M. M. C., Cooley, A., Feiten, O., Petrie, K. & Schussler, E. E. To Cope or Not to Cope? Characterizing Biology Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Coping with Teaching and Research Anxieties. CBE Life Sciences Education.  

2020

Barreira, P., Basilico, M., & Bolotnyy, V. Graduate student mental health: Lessons from American economics departments. Working Paper. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.

Jones-White, D. R., Soria, K. M., Tower, E. K., & Horner, O. G. Factors associated with anxiety and depression among US doctoral students: Evidence from the gradSERU survey. Journal of American College Health.

2019

Liu, C., Wang, L., Qi, R., Wang, W., Jia, S., Shang, D., ... & Yan, S. Prevalence and associated factors of depression and anxiety among doctoral students: The mediating effect of mentoring relationships on the association between research self-efficacy and depression/anxiety. Psychology Research and Behavior Management.

Nagy, G. A., Fang, C. M., Hish, A. J., Kelly, L., Nicchitta, C. V., Dzirasa, K., & Rosenthal, M. Z. Burnout and mental health problems in biomedical doctoral students. CBE—Life Sciences Education.

2018

Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T. & Vanderford, N. L. Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education. Nature.

2017

Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, A., Van der Heyden, J., & Gisle, L. Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students. Research policy.

2011

Peluso, D. L., Carleton, R. N., & Asmundson, G. J. Depression symptoms in Canadian psychology graduate students: Do research productivity, funding, and the academic advisory relationship play a role? Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne des Sciences du Comportement.

Commentary on the Graduate Student Mental Health Crisis

2025

Forrester, N. Harsh criticism and unreasonable expectations worsen PhD students’ mental health. Nature.

2021

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Math (NASEM). Mental Health, Substance Use, and Wellbeing in Higher Education: Supporting the Whole Student. The National Academies Press.

2020

Woolston, C. Signs of depression and anxiety soar among US graduate students during pandemic. Nature.

2019

Nature. The mental health of PhD researchers demands urgent attention. Nature.

Puri, P. The Emotional Toll of Graduate School. Scientific American.

2018

Pain, E. Graduate students need more mental health support, study highlights. Science.

Flaherty, C. New study says graduate students’ mental health is a “crisis.” Inside Higher Ed.