‘There’s only so much an individual can do’: an ecological systems perspective on mental health and wellbeing in the early stages of doctoral research

References

• Allen-Collinson, J. 2005. “Artistry and Analysis: Student Experiences of UK Practice-Based Doctorates in Art and Design.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 18 (6): 713–728. doi:10.1080/09518390500298196.
   Google Scholar
• Barry, K. M., M. Woods, A. Martin, C. Stirling, and E. Warnecke. 2019. “A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Mindfulness Practice on Doctoral Candidate Psychological Status.” Journal of American College Health 67 (4): 299–307. doi:10.1080/07448481.2018.1515760.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Braun, V., and V. Clarke. 2019. “Reflecting on Reflexive Thematic Analysis.” Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 11 (4): 589–597. doi:10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Braun, V., and V. Clarke. 2021. “Conceptual and Design Thinking for Thematic Analysis.” Qualitative Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/qup0000196.
   Google Scholar
• Braveman, P., S. Egerter, and D. R. Williams. 2011. “The Social Determinants of Health: Coming of Age.” Annual Review of Public Health 32: 381–398. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031210-101218.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bronfenbrenner, U. 1979. The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments in Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Buissink-Smith, N., S. Hart, and J. van der Meer. 2013. “‘There are Other People Out There!’ Successful Postgraduate Peer Groups and Research Communities at a New Zealand University.” Higher Education Research & Development 32 (5): 695–705. doi:10.1080/07294360.2013.777034.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Byrom, N. C., L. Dinu, A. Kirkham, and G. Hughes. 2020. “Predicting Stress and Mental Wellbeing among Doctoral Researchers.” Journal of Mental Health: 1–9. Advance publication online. doi:10.1080/09638237.2020.1818196.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cornér, S., E. Löfström, and K. Pyhältö. 2017. “The Relationship between Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Supervision and Burnout.” International Journal of Doctoral Studies 12: 91–106. doi:10.28945/3754.
   Google Scholar
• Deem, R. 2020. “Rethinking Doctoral Education: University Purposes, Academic Cultures, Mental Health and the Public Good.” In Structural and Institutional Transformations in Doctoral Education: Social, Political and Student Expectations, edited by S. Cardoso, O. Tavares, C. Sin, and T. Carvalho, 13–42. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
   Google Scholar
• do Mar Pereira, M. 2016. “Struggling within and beyond the Performative University: Articulating Activism and Work in an ‘Academia without Walls’.” Women’s Studies International Forum 54: 100–110. doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2015.06.008.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Eriksson, M., M. Ghazinour, and A. Hammarstrom. 2018. “Different Uses of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory in Public Mental Health Research: What is Their Value for Guiding Public Mental Health Policy and Practice?” Social Theory & Health 16: 414–433. doi:10.1057/s41285-018-0065-6.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Evans, T. M., L. Bira, J. Beltran Gastelum, L. Todd Weiss, and N. L. Vanderford. 2018. “Evidence for a Mental Health Crisis in Graduate Education.” Nature Biotechnology 36: 282–284. doi:10.1038/nbt.4089.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hazell, C. M., L. Chapman, S. F. Valeix, P. Roberts, J. E. Nevin, and C Berry. 2020. “Understanding the Mental Health of Doctoral Researchers: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Meta-Synthesis.” Systematic Reviews 9: 197. doi:10.1186/s13643-020-01443-1.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Homer, S. R., L. Solbrig, S. Djama, A. Bentley, S. Kearns, and J. May. 2021. “The Researcher Toolkit: A Preventative, Peer-support Approach to Postgraduate Research Student Mental Health.” Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education 12 (1): 7–25. Advance publication online. doi:10.1108/SGPE-06-2020-0039.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jackman, P. C., L. Jacobs, R. M. Hawkins, and K. Sisson. 2021a. “Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing in the Early Stages of Doctoral Study: A Systematic Review.” European Journal of Higher Education: 1–21. Advance publication online. doi:10.1080/21568235.2021.1939752.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jackman, P. C., R. Sanderson, and L. Jacobs. 2021b. “Developing Inductions to Support Mental Health and Wellbeing in Doctoral Researchers: Findings from a Qualitative Co-Design Study with Doctoral Researchers and University Stakeholders.” European Journal of Higher Education: 1–18. Advance publication online. doi:10.1080/21568235.2021.1992293.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Levecque, K., F. Anseel, A. De Beuckelaer, J. Van der Heyden, and L. Gisle. 2017. “Work Organization and Mental Health Problems in PhD Students.” Research Policy 46 (4): 868–879. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2017.02.008.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mackie, S. A., and G. W. Bates. 2019. “Contribution of the Doctoral Education Environment to PhD Candidates’ Mental Health Problems: A Scoping Review.” Higher Education Research & Development 38 (3): 565–578. doi:10.1080/07294360.2018.1556620.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Maher, M. A., A. M. Wofford, J. Roksa, and D. F. Feldon. 2020. “Exploring Early Exits: Doctoral Attrition in the Biomedical Sciences.” Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice 22 (2): 205–226. doi:10.1177/1521025117736871.
   Google Scholar
• Marais, G. A. B., R. Shakaland, P. Haag, R. Fiault, and B. Juniper. 2018. “A Survey and A Positive Psychology Intervention on French PhD Student Well-being.” International Journal of Doctoral Studies 13: 109–138. doi:10.28945/3948.
   Google Scholar
• Maxwell, J. A. 2012. Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
   Google Scholar
• McAlpine, L., and J. Norton. 2006. “Reframing Our Approach to Doctoral Programs: An Integrative Framework for Action and Research.” Higher Education Research & Development 25 (1): 3–17. doi:10.1080/07294360500453012.
   Google Scholar
• McLinden, M. 2017. “Examining Proximal and Distal Influences on the Part-Time Student Experience through an Ecological Systems Theory.” Teaching in Higher Education 22 (3): 373–388. doi:10.1080/13562517.2016.1248391.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Metcalfe, J., S. Wilson, and K. Levecque. 2018. “Exploring Wellbeing and Mental Health and Associated Support Services for Postgraduate Researchers.” Vitae. Accessed 18 March 2021. https://re.ukri.org/documents/2018/mental-health-report/
   Google Scholar
• Morrish, L. 2019. “Pressure Vessels: The Epidemic of Poor Mental Health among Higher Education Staff.” HEPI. Accessed 5 November 2021. https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/HEPI-Pressure-Vessels-Occasional-Paper-20.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Russell-Pinson, L., and M. L. Harris. 2019. “Anguish and Anxiety, Stress and Strain: Attending to Writers’ Stress in the Dissertation Process.” Journal of Second Language Writing 43: 63–71. doi:10.1016/j.jslw.2017.11.005.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sang, K., A. Powell, R. Finkel, and J. Richards. 2015. “‘Being an Academic is Not a 9–5 Job’: Long Working Hours and the ‘Ideal Work’ in UK Academia.” Labour & Industry 25 (3): 235–249. doi:10.1080/10301763.2015.1081723.
   Google Scholar
• Schmidt, M., and T. Umans. 2014. “Experiences of Well-being among Female Doctoral Students in Sweden.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being 9 (1): 23059. doi:10.3402/qhw.v9.23059.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Smith, B., and K. McGannon. 2018. “Developing Rigor in Qualitative Research: Problems and Opportunities within Sport and Exercise Psychology.” International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 11 (1): 101–121. doi:10.1080/1750984X.2017.1317357.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Smith, B. 2018. “Generalizability in Qualitative Research: Misunderstandings, Opportunities and Recommendations for the Sport and Exercise Sciences.” Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 10 (1): 137–149. doi:10.1080/2159676X.2017.1393221.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Taylor, S. 2021. “Managing Supervisory Loads by Centrally Limiting Student Numbers: An Investigation into Practice in Institutions in the UK.” United Kingdom Council of Graduate Education. Accessed 18 May 2021. https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/resources/managing-supervisory-loads-by-centrally-limiting-student-numbers/
   Google Scholar
• Universities UK. 2017. “#stepchange Mental Health in Higher Education.” Accessed 29 October 2021. https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/stepchange-mhu
   Google Scholar
• Waight, E., and A. Giordano. 2018. “Doctoral Students’ Access to Non-Academic Support for Mental Health.” Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 40 (4): 390–412. doi:10.1080/1360080X.2018.1478613.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• WHO (World Health Organisation). 2012. “Risks to Mental Health: An Overview of Vulnerabilities and Risk Factors.” World Health Organisation. Accessed 26 April 2021. https://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap/risks_to_mental_health_EN_27_08_12.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Wright, T. 2006. “Issues in Brief Counselling with Postgraduate Research Students.” Counselling Psychology Quarterly 19 (4): 357–372. doi:10.1080/09515070601043203.
   Google Scholar