Mental health of postgraduate research students

Published: 14 March 2018

New research led by the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit suggests that postgraduate researchers at UK universities suffer from high rates of mental ill-health, with female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ communities faring particularly badly

New research led by the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit suggests that postgraduate researchers at UK universities suffer from high rates of mental ill-health, with female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ communities faring particularly badly.

Line drawing of a person's head

The study, published in Current Psychology, contributes to the growing body of literature on PGR mental health by showing that the rates of mental ill-health in PGRs are high and shaped by a combination of factors, including gender and sexual orientation, individual differences in resilience, workaholism and perfectionism, as well as the perceived academic progress and preparation, social support and departmental climate.

Read more about this

Jelena Milicev, Mark McCann, Sharon A. Simpson, Stephany M. Biello & Maria Gardani Evaluating Mental Health and Wellbeing of Postgraduate Researchers: Prevalence and Contributing Factors Current Psychology (2021)


First published: 14 March 2018