Hardback
Research Handbook of Academic Mental Health
There has been much recent commentary regarding a ‘crisis’ in academic mental health and wellbeing. This Research Handbook showcases cutting-edge studies and insightful narratives on the wellbeing of doctoral students, early career researchers, and faculty members, illuminating the current state of academic mental health research. Importantly, authors also offer potential solutions to the increasingly poor mental health reported by those working and studying in the higher education sector.
More Information
Contents
More Information
There has been much recent commentary regarding a ‘crisis’ in academic mental health and wellbeing. This Research Handbook showcases cutting-edge studies and insightful narratives on the wellbeing of doctoral students, early career researchers, and faculty members, illuminating the current state of academic mental health research. Importantly, authors also offer potential solutions to the increasingly poor mental health reported by those working and studying in the higher education sector.
Across 32 chapters, the authors discuss vital and underexplored issues within the field, including the mental ill-health of historically marginalized students, growing concerns about the work–life balance of faculty, and the unique struggles of non-tenured faculty. The editors conclude with an agenda for future research and practical recommendations for different stakeholders, with particular attention to actions that must come from university leaders.
Timely and essential reading, this Research Handbook is crucial for doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and support staff of any discipline as well as senior leaders in higher education. Collectively, the authors demonstrate that urgent action is needed to address long-standing systemic issues in universities to improve mental health and wellbeing in future.
Across 32 chapters, the authors discuss vital and underexplored issues within the field, including the mental ill-health of historically marginalized students, growing concerns about the work–life balance of faculty, and the unique struggles of non-tenured faculty. The editors conclude with an agenda for future research and practical recommendations for different stakeholders, with particular attention to actions that must come from university leaders.
Timely and essential reading, this Research Handbook is crucial for doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and support staff of any discipline as well as senior leaders in higher education. Collectively, the authors demonstrate that urgent action is needed to address long-standing systemic issues in universities to improve mental health and wellbeing in future.
Contents
Contents
Introduction and historical review 15
Marissa S. Edwards, Lauren E. Cox, Angela J. Martin and Neal M. Ashkanasy
PART I NARRATIVES AND PERSPECTIVES
1 “I realised that, if I am dead, I cannot finish my PhD!”: a narrative
ethnography of psychological capital in academia 46
Lynette Pretorius
2 The impact of completing a doctorate as an older person in a global
pandemic and the steps taken to protect my mental health and wellbeing 62
Gill Harvey
3 A mask that eats the face: neurotypicality and autistic doctoral researchers 78
Bobbie Jay White, Claire O’Neill and C.J. Griffin
4 The invisible, yet dangerous mental health crisis among historically
marginalized graduate and professional students 92
Evelyn Vázquez
5 Overcoming impostor syndrome: an intercultural response to PhD
candidature during the COVID-19 pandemic 109
Citra Amelia, Alistair Welsh, Monika Winarnita and Ramón López Castellano
6 An unrecognized avenue for academia’s most vulnerable:
conceptualizing rescue supervision in the third space 124
Joshua Wang, Kristy Winter and Hayley Moody
7 “PhD is a personal individual struggle … but you don’t have to struggle
alone”: supervisors’ perspectives of international scholars’ wellbeing 138
Dely Lazarte Elliot, Sally Ohlsen, Kay Guccione, Robert A. Daley and Chris
Blackmore
8 Advocating for better academic mental health: our journeys and lessons
from lived experience 154
Zoë J. Ayres and Marissa S. Edwards
9 ‘Smelly Velcro Cat’: a narrative of managing obsessive compulsive
‘disorder’, generalised anxiety ‘disorder’, depression and an academic career 168
Louise Oldridge
10 Academic precarity and mental health: reviewing the domains of
precarity “of”, “at”, and “from” work 182
Austin Chia, Lara Mossman and Alexandra Louise Johnston
11 Acknowledging diversity: exploring the lived experience of casual academics 195
Ellie Meissner, Katrina Radford, Ashleigh Schweinsberg, Diana Sheldon,
James Holder, Elena King and Caroline Kasputtis
12 The ‘other’ in academia: the mental health of women in masculinized
institutions in Central and Eastern Europe 209
Anna M. Górska
13 Student evaluations and the impact on academic mental health 225
Troy Heffernan and Kelly-Ann Allen
14 Becoming and being an academic: the negative impact of profession on
early career academic mental health 241
Victoria Lister and Katharina Spaeth
15 Adverse health experiences narrated by university staff leaving during
the COVID-19 pandemic 256
Ian Glendon
16 Locating academic staff wellbeing within the organization: the interplay
between personality, workload and burnout among academic staff 275
Konstantina Paitaridou, Olga Lainidi and Anthony Montgomery
17 Work–life balance and wellbeing in academic employees 290
Gail Kinman
PART II STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS
18 Wellbeing in the curriculum: opportunities and challenges for higher education 305
Deirdre Byrne and Jessica F. Surdey
19 Doctoral students’ mental health and well-being: what we know and
what we can do 323
Anna Sverdlik
20 Proactive, systemic approach for faculty/staff support of (graduate)
student wellbeing 341
Nicole L. Hacker
21 Tools for improving academic mental health and holistic wellbeing 362
Shira Tarrant
22 Finding self through acts of creativity 376
Caitlin Kight and Narelle Lemon
23 Work passion and academic wellbeing 395
Jennifer Ann L. Lajom, Laramie R. Tolentino, Anna Sverdlik, Rebecca
Mitchell and Robert J. Vallerand
24 Navigating academic mental health and wellbeing, a case for resilience?
Lessons for higher education using an ‘academic-centered approach’ 409
Karishma Jivraj
25 It takes a village: how peer coaching groups can support mental health
in academia 424
Roman Terekhin
26 Empowering university leaders, staff, and graduates for mental health
action in higher education 436
Christine Grove, Jason Skues, Kelly-Ann Allen, Alexandra Marinucci, Kerryn
Butler-Henderson and Salma Arabi
27 Creating a sense of belonging in academia: challenges, facilitators, and
implications for university leaders, staff and graduate students 451
Kelly-Ann Allen, Margaret L. Kern, Jonathan Reardon, Joseph Crawford,
Christopher D. Slaten, Troy Heffernan, Lan Ma, Christine Grove and Steven
Roberts
28 Understanding academic workloads through HRM systems: choosing
between the bottom line and a healthy sustainable workforce 474
Fiona Archontoulis, Keith Townsend and Rebecca Loudoun
29 The ARK program: a participatory organizational health intervention
and development of meaning at work and work to home conflict over
time for academics in Norway 490
Marit Christensen, Silje Fossum Fladmark, Josefina Peláez Zuberbühler, Siw
Tone Innstrand and Karina Nielsen
30 The landscape of mental health in higher education: the current state
and where to next? 508
Lauren E. Cox, Angela J. Martin, Jo Bishop, Olav Muurlink and Allison
Mandrusiak
31 Conclusion 531
Marissa S. Edwards, Angela J. Martin, Neal M. Ashkanasy and Lauren E. Cox
Introduction and historical review 15
Marissa S. Edwards, Lauren E. Cox, Angela J. Martin and Neal M. Ashkanasy
PART I NARRATIVES AND PERSPECTIVES
1 “I realised that, if I am dead, I cannot finish my PhD!”: a narrative
ethnography of psychological capital in academia 46
Lynette Pretorius
2 The impact of completing a doctorate as an older person in a global
pandemic and the steps taken to protect my mental health and wellbeing 62
Gill Harvey
3 A mask that eats the face: neurotypicality and autistic doctoral researchers 78
Bobbie Jay White, Claire O’Neill and C.J. Griffin
4 The invisible, yet dangerous mental health crisis among historically
marginalized graduate and professional students 92
Evelyn Vázquez
5 Overcoming impostor syndrome: an intercultural response to PhD
candidature during the COVID-19 pandemic 109
Citra Amelia, Alistair Welsh, Monika Winarnita and Ramón López Castellano
6 An unrecognized avenue for academia’s most vulnerable:
conceptualizing rescue supervision in the third space 124
Joshua Wang, Kristy Winter and Hayley Moody
7 “PhD is a personal individual struggle … but you don’t have to struggle
alone”: supervisors’ perspectives of international scholars’ wellbeing 138
Dely Lazarte Elliot, Sally Ohlsen, Kay Guccione, Robert A. Daley and Chris
Blackmore
8 Advocating for better academic mental health: our journeys and lessons
from lived experience 154
Zoë J. Ayres and Marissa S. Edwards
9 ‘Smelly Velcro Cat’: a narrative of managing obsessive compulsive
‘disorder’, generalised anxiety ‘disorder’, depression and an academic career 168
Louise Oldridge
10 Academic precarity and mental health: reviewing the domains of
precarity “of”, “at”, and “from” work 182
Austin Chia, Lara Mossman and Alexandra Louise Johnston
11 Acknowledging diversity: exploring the lived experience of casual academics 195
Ellie Meissner, Katrina Radford, Ashleigh Schweinsberg, Diana Sheldon,
James Holder, Elena King and Caroline Kasputtis
12 The ‘other’ in academia: the mental health of women in masculinized
institutions in Central and Eastern Europe 209
Anna M. Górska
13 Student evaluations and the impact on academic mental health 225
Troy Heffernan and Kelly-Ann Allen
14 Becoming and being an academic: the negative impact of profession on
early career academic mental health 241
Victoria Lister and Katharina Spaeth
15 Adverse health experiences narrated by university staff leaving during
the COVID-19 pandemic 256
Ian Glendon
16 Locating academic staff wellbeing within the organization: the interplay
between personality, workload and burnout among academic staff 275
Konstantina Paitaridou, Olga Lainidi and Anthony Montgomery
17 Work–life balance and wellbeing in academic employees 290
Gail Kinman
PART II STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS
18 Wellbeing in the curriculum: opportunities and challenges for higher education 305
Deirdre Byrne and Jessica F. Surdey
19 Doctoral students’ mental health and well-being: what we know and
what we can do 323
Anna Sverdlik
20 Proactive, systemic approach for faculty/staff support of (graduate)
student wellbeing 341
Nicole L. Hacker
21 Tools for improving academic mental health and holistic wellbeing 362
Shira Tarrant
22 Finding self through acts of creativity 376
Caitlin Kight and Narelle Lemon
23 Work passion and academic wellbeing 395
Jennifer Ann L. Lajom, Laramie R. Tolentino, Anna Sverdlik, Rebecca
Mitchell and Robert J. Vallerand
24 Navigating academic mental health and wellbeing, a case for resilience?
Lessons for higher education using an ‘academic-centered approach’ 409
Karishma Jivraj
25 It takes a village: how peer coaching groups can support mental health
in academia 424
Roman Terekhin
26 Empowering university leaders, staff, and graduates for mental health
action in higher education 436
Christine Grove, Jason Skues, Kelly-Ann Allen, Alexandra Marinucci, Kerryn
Butler-Henderson and Salma Arabi
27 Creating a sense of belonging in academia: challenges, facilitators, and
implications for university leaders, staff and graduate students 451
Kelly-Ann Allen, Margaret L. Kern, Jonathan Reardon, Joseph Crawford,
Christopher D. Slaten, Troy Heffernan, Lan Ma, Christine Grove and Steven
Roberts
28 Understanding academic workloads through HRM systems: choosing
between the bottom line and a healthy sustainable workforce 474
Fiona Archontoulis, Keith Townsend and Rebecca Loudoun
29 The ARK program: a participatory organizational health intervention
and development of meaning at work and work to home conflict over
time for academics in Norway 490
Marit Christensen, Silje Fossum Fladmark, Josefina Peláez Zuberbühler, Siw
Tone Innstrand and Karina Nielsen
30 The landscape of mental health in higher education: the current state
and where to next? 508
Lauren E. Cox, Angela J. Martin, Jo Bishop, Olav Muurlink and Allison
Mandrusiak
31 Conclusion 531
Marissa S. Edwards, Angela J. Martin, Neal M. Ashkanasy and Lauren E. Cox
