Summary
This research paper examines the impact of PhD studies on mental health care uptake using Swedish administrative records of prescriptions for psychiatric medication. The study finds that, despite a similar rate of psychiatric medication use among prospective PhD students and matched individuals with master's degrees, PhD students experience a substantial increase in psychiatric medication usage upon starting their studies. This increase persists throughout the program, with estimates showing a 40% rise by the fifth year. The study also explores the effect of PhD studies on hospitalizations for mental health problems and finds a similar pattern, suggesting a direct negative impact of PhD studies on mental health. The authors conclude that these findings highlight the need for policies aimed at promoting mental health and improving the working environment for early career researchers.
"Mental health among graduate students thus appears to represent an exception to the otherwise frequently documented educational gradient in health”
Citation for published version (APA): Bergvall, S., Fernström, C., Ranehill, E., & Sandberg, A. (2024). The Impact of PhD Studies on Mental Health—A Longitudinal Population Study. (Working papers; No. 2024:5). URL
Key findings in a timeline
The key events are stages in the PhD journey:
Before PhD Start: The researchers establish a baseline of mental health by analyzing prescription data for psychiatric medication one year prior to starting a PhD.
PhD Start (Year 0): A significant increase in the use of psychiatric medication is observed among PhD students compared to their matched control groups.
Years 1-4: The upward trend of increased psychiatric medication use continues throughout the initial years of the PhD programme.
Year 5: The researchers observe a peak in psychiatric medication use by the fifth year of the PhD, coinciding with the average programme duration.
After Year 5: A notable decrease in psychiatric medication use is observed, although it often remains elevated compared to pre-PhD levels.
Three Key Learnings
Starting a PhD is linked to significantly increased mental health care use. While prospective PhD students initially resemble those with Master's degrees in medication use, this changes once PhD programmes begin. A sharp rise in psychiatric medication use occurs in the first year, continuing throughout the programme. By year five, PhD student medication use is more comparable to the general population, and higher than that of those with Master's degrees.
This suggests PhD studies negatively impact mental health, not just healthcare-seeking. This is strengthened by findings of increased hospitalisations for mental disorders post-PhD start, indicating worsening mental health itself.45 Additionally, the rise in prescriptions upon starting a PhD is significantly larger for psychiatric medications compared to other types, suggesting the effect isn't driven by a general increase in healthcare use.
Older individuals, women, and those with prior psychiatric medication use are more likely to use these medications during their PhD
"In a broader perspective, mental health problems today constitute the leading cause for work disability across Western countries and a growing literature highlights working conditions as a factor contributing to this trend.”
Did you like this? You can share it with others
This entry has been created by ResearchBud using NotebookLM.
The podcast has been generated by an artificial intelligence
Acknowledgements to Rodrigo Hernando for poininting up this piece of work.
Share this post