{"id":61360,"date":"2022-02-04T04:15:12","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T09:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=61360"},"modified":"2022-02-15T19:20:08","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T00:20:08","slug":"do-you-have-to-suffer-to-earn-your-doctorate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/do-you-have-to-suffer-to-earn-your-doctorate\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you have to suffer to earn your doctorate?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nDoctoral students represent the future of research, innovation and teaching within universities and other institutions.\u00a0But it would seem that this future is threatened:\u00a0<\/span>research<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has revealed the\u00a0<\/span>fragility<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>their mental health<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0The study that I conducted with my colleagues among\u00a0<\/span>doctoral students in the United Kingdom<\/span><\/a>\u00a0shows that the latter meet the clinical criteria for depression and anxiety more than the working population, and that they present with symptoms that are much more severe than the participants in the control group made up of professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

We interviewed 3,352 doctoral students and 1,256 professionals who served as our\u00a0<\/span>matched sample<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0The questionnaires used for the analysis of symptoms are those of the mental health services of the National Health Service (NHS), the public health system of the United Kingdom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 40% of doctoral students met the criteria for moderate to severe depression or anxiety, compared to 32% of professionals for depression and 26% for anxiety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding the risk of suicide, the rates are similar (from 33% to 35% for the two groups), important figures which can be explained by the high rates of depression observed in our sample.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also asked doctoral students how they felt about their mental health and that of their peers.\u00a0More than 40% consider it normal to suffer from mental disorders during a doctorate and 41% told us that most of their doctoral colleagues encounter them.\u00a0Just over a third of doctoral students considered ending their studies for this reason.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture of pressure<\/strong><\/h4>\n

There is clearly a high prevalence of mental disorders among doctoral students, compared to the rates observed in the general population.\u00a0Our results also point to a problem with the current system of doctoral study, and indeed of academia as a whole, which encourages a culture of productivity pressure and devaluation.<\/span><\/p>\n

This mentality persists among doctoral students.\u00a0In focus groups and surveys we’ve conducted\u00a0<\/span>for other studies<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, PhD students have reported displaying their suffering as evidence that they’re working hard.\u00a0A student\u00a0<\/span>told us<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0:<\/span>
\nMany of us think that you have to suffer for your doctorate.\u00a0If you don’t have anxiety or impostor syndrome (feeling like you don’t belong or don’t deserve to do a PhD), then there’s something wrong. .<\/span><\/em>
\nWe also analyzed the risk factors likely to worsen the mental health of doctoral students and those which, on the contrary, can preserve it.\u00a0Financial insecurity is one of them.\u00a0Indeed, not all students benefit from resources allowing them to cover their tuition fees and personal expenses.\u00a0They are also not guaranteed to find a job once they have their doctorate, because the number of\u00a0<\/span>postdoctoral positions<\/span><\/a>\u00a0does not increase at the same rate as that of doctoral students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another risk factor: the conflictual relationship they may have with their\u00a0<\/span>thesis supervisor<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0If we compare this person, as one of our collaborators and doctoral student did, to a “sword” that we can use, if need be, to defeat the “monster” represented by the doctorate, it the weapon must be effective.\u00a0However, when the thesis supervisor is unavailable, too critical or not specialized enough, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to attack the monster.<\/span>
\n