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While there has been recent focus on researcher well-being, there is still considerable stigma around the issue of mental health in academia. Researchers, irrespective of where they are in the world or in their career, are tasked with solving some of the most pressing problems facing mankind. In fact, PhD students and early career researchers today face more pressures than ever before, with universities often being referred to as ‘anxiety machines’.1 Highly competitive environments, extensive workloads and increased demands, and the constant pressure to publish have become the norm in research and academia, but few are trained to tackle this effectively.
Researchers are expected to be naturals when it comes to out-of-the-box thinking and problem solving, with little attention given to their own well-being in academia. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a real, even if tacit, expectation that researchers should be able to ‘thrive’ at work. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic added to already heavy workloads and high expectations around academic productivity, further eroding the state of mental health in academia.
How then, can research bodies, investors and other stakeholders in the academic world make sure that a progressive and supportive ecosystem is consciously created for researchers, to significantly improve the state of mental health in academia at large?
Thanks to a one-of-its-kind global survey by CACTUS titled “Joy and Stress Triggers: A global survey on mental health among researchers” we have a better insight on what researchers expect for their betterment and well-being in academia. The results of the 2020 survey are based on the opinions of over 13,000 researchers drawn from more than 160 countries, with strong representation from the top 10 research-producing countries and diverse minority groups.
5 fundamental findings from the CACTUS Mental Health Survey2
Ensure zero tolerance against toxic behavior
An important takeaway from the survey on mental health in academia was that as many as 37% of the respondents mentioned having been a victim of some form of bias, bullying or discrimination at their place of work. The proportion of respondents was even higher from among smaller groups, such as mixed-race, homosexual and women researchers. In fact, 65% of those who experienced discrimination, harassment, or bullying said they felt their organization did not have strict policies to prevent, detect, or act against this.
The respondents’ primary feedback on ways to improve the environments in research and academia was related to fostering fairness and thwarting toxicity. Research work typically involves an active collaboration between teams at different levels. This makes it crucial for organizations to invest in creating an environment that fosters and encourages teamwork so that researchers from diverse backgrounds can come together to work on a project without having to worry about being discriminated against because of their gender or socio-economic background.
Evaluate research performance objectively
A highly effective measure that academic institutions can deploy toward improving mental health in academia is to actively engage with researchers to better understand their immediate and longer-term challenges. The survey found that although three-fourths of the respondents were self-motivated to undertake research work, two-thirds felt hugely pressured and stressed when it came to publishing their work and obtaining funding. Nearly half the respondents believed that their research performance was not appraised properly.
Many researchers also felt that a culture that mandates the publication of papers is harmful and needs to be adequately addressed. The measure of a researcher’s prowess is usually the number of papers they’ve published, but it is important to lay more emphasis on the quality of output instead of the quantity. Moreover, researchers will benefit from institutional assistance in gaining the requisite resources that will allow them to deliver results in a stress-free manner.
Minimize the uncertainty around an academic’s career
Early career researchers are particularly under pressure when it comes to creating and growing their careers. Many reported feeling a sense of insecurity and ambiguity regarding their decision to pursue research and grow a career in academia. As high as 57% of the survey respondents felt doubtful about the likelihood of their landing a job, and only two in five people were financially comfortable. This highlights the need to support researcher well-being in academia, making it critical that institutions seriously address and safeguard employment prospects and improved salaries.
Create a balanced work-life ecosystem
Nearly a third of the respondents felt bogged down because of having to work more than 50 hours each week, which made it extremely difficult for them to make time for other important activities. Almost half of the researchers surveyed stated that they had been assigned a lot of non-research duties, while 38% felt that they were not getting enough sleep. Unfortunately, these are increasingly common occurrences in academia and require attention. This would ideally be in the form of developing a mechanism to review the amount and type of workload assigned to researchers so as to provide them with the flexibility needed to attend to their many responsibilities.
Enable access to specialist mental health care
Almost half of the respondents to the survey felt a sense of stigma around discussing their work stress issues with people in their organization. While one reason for this is that they believe no one at their workplace is equipped to answer and resolve issues of mental health in academia, another reason is that they feel bringing this up publicly would show them in a bad light, perhaps as too weak to handle the rigors of scientific study.
Importantly, nearly two-thirds (63%) of the respondents conveyed their unwillingness to seek expert help or go for counselling to deal with their anxiety issues, believing that it’s their personal problem and they should deal with it themselves. Academic and research organizations would do well to facilitate information on mental health in academia and provide access to mental health support services by offering on-campus facilities or tie-ups with specialist centers.
Mental health in academia and the well-being of researchers is an important aspect that universities and organizations must acknowledge and act upon. Creating, implementing, and promoting a culture of collaboration to nurture and improve mental health in academia will help to reduce the pressures and stresses faced by researchers at work and will go a long way toward building a foundation of inclusivity and growth.
References:
- Ball, K., Crawford, D. How to grow a successful – and happy – research team. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2020. https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-019-0907-1
- Joy and Stress Triggers: A global survey on mental health among researchers. CACTUS Foundation, 2020. Available at https://foundation.cactusglobal.com/mental-health-survey/index.php
