A new study found that graduate students are six times more likely to exhibit depression symptoms than the general population.

 

一项新研究发现，研究生出现抑郁症状的概率是普通人群的六倍。

 

The findings should surprise no one but it's important to have quantitative¹ data about a mental health hazard running rampant² in universities across the entire world. Such data "should prompt academia and policymakers to consider intervention³ strategies," the authors wrote in the journal Nature.

 

Researchers led by Teresa Evans, a neuroscientist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, surveyed 2,279 students in 26 different countries, 70% of whom were female, 28% male, and 2% transgender. The fields of study involved were 56% humanities and 38% physical sciences. Approximately 40% of the respondents scored moderate to severe for anxiety. Nearly 40 percent of respondents also showed signs of moderate to severe depression.

 

Consistent with previous research on non-student populations, transgender and gender-nonconforming graduate students, along with women, were more likely to experience anxiety and depression than their cisgender male counterparts. The prevalence of anxiety and depression in transgender or gender-nonconforming graduate students was 55% and 57%, respectively. Among cis students, 43% of women had anxiety and 41% were depressed⁴. That's compared to 34% of cis men reporting symptoms of anxiety and 35% showing signs of depression.

 

These incredibly high rates of anxiety and depression, when compared to the general population, are alarming and should serve as a wakeup call for the academia, Evans says.

 

It's not hard to understand why life as a Ph.D. student can literally⁵ drive some people crazy. Long hours, social isolation⁶, and feelings of inadequacy⁷ can break even the most motivated persons among us. Top it all off with a generous topping of impostor syndrome⁸, and when this situation persists, the anxiety and depression can become chronic⁹.

 

One obvious solution is improving the work-life balance among graduate students. Of the graduate students who experienced moderate to severe anxiety, 56% did not agree that their work-life balance was 'good', versus¹⁰ 24% who did. Among graduate students with depression, more than half (55%) did not agree with the statement (21% agreed).

 

Proper mentorship is another aspect that can impact a graduate student's mental health. Among the respondents with anxiety or depression, only half agreed that their immediate¹² mentors¹¹ provided "real" mentorship.

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