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PhD studies may trigger mental health problems

Student standing by book case
Photo: Kennet Ruona

Several recent surveys indicate high levels of mental health problems among PhD students.

Together with reports that PhD studies are often characterized by, among other things, a high workload, long working hours, and future job insecurity, this evidence has given rise to a broad discussion about a mental health crisis in graduate education. However, since survey evidence often relies on smaller and selected samples of individuals who choose to take part in these surveys, it is unclear to what extent this evidence is representative of the whole PhD student body. In addition, because survey evidence often captures how respondents feel at one point in time, it does not answer questions such as whether a high prevalence of mental health problems among PhD students arise due to the PhD studies themselves or due to a selection of individuals with previous mental health problems into PhD studies.   

In recent research, Sanna Bergvall, Clara Fernström, Eva Ranehill and Anna Sandberg address these questions. Their study relies on Swedish administrative records of prescriptions of psychiatric medications for the Swedish population from 2005-2017. These data enable the authors to follow individual PhD students over time and study the development of mental health care uptake before and after the start of a PhD education. Their analysis indicates that, in the years preceding PhD studies, prospective students collect psychiatric medication at a rate similar to that of a matched sample of individuals holding a master’s degree. However, following the start of PhD studies, the use of psychiatric medication among PhD students increases substantially. This upward trend continues throughout the course of PhD studies, with estimates showing a 40 percent increase by the fifth year compared to pre-PhD levels. After five years, which represents the average duration of PhD studies in the sample, the utilization of psychiatric medication decreases notably. 
 

“Our results indicate that the high prevalence of mental health problems among PhD studies is most likely primarily driven by the PhD studies themselves, and less likely to be driven by the type of individuals who select into PhD studies,” the authors say.  
 

Overall, older students, women, and individuals with a history of mental health care (but who were not medicating at the onset of their PhD studies) have a higher risk of collecting psychiatric medication during their PhD studies.


The Impact of PhD Studies on Mental Health—A Longitudinal Population Study