Understanding Postgraduate Research Students Disclosure of Mental Health Challenges within the UK University Context

Postgraduate Research Student (PGR) mental health is a growing area of interest to Higher Education Institutions and researchers due to the attrition and potential suicide risk in this population. The aim of this Thesis was to explore perceptions and experiences of disclosing a mental health challenge within the university context. This was achieved through a systematic literature review and three sequential multi-method studies exploring student disclosure of mental health challenges, including a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews with PGRs and supervisors. It was found that few studies examined the PGR experience of disclosing mental health challenges, and the differences between PGRs and taught students is often unacknowledged in policy and practice. The experience of doing a PhD can have substantial impact on the mental health of PGRs (both positive and negative) and PGRs are reluctant to talk about mental health due to the importance of the supervisory relationship, and impact on supervisory perceptions. Supervisors felt ill-equipped to encourage and support disclosures, whilst institutions expected them to support the mental health and pastoral needs of their PGRs. HEIs are not adequately recognising, rewarding, or work-loading the complex and valuable role that supervisors play in PGR success. The results of the multi-method studies are then discussed in relation to existing literature within the field and the pandemic. Reflection is made on the quality of the studies and role of the researcher and a series of recommendations for the UK Higher Education sector, researchers and university communities are presented in relation to policy, process, and individual action

The care-less academy? Making space for parents and carers in higher education

Within Higher Education (HE) research there is increasing interest in the links between student identity, experience, and wellbeing, particularly in relation to minority student groups. One such group is Students with Caring Responsibilities (SCRs), consisting of both students who are carers and/or parents (including those students who undertake the role of carer and parent), who it has been suggested have been actively constructed as ‘other’ in academia (Moreau, 2016) such that their experiences and needs are not well understood.  Indeed, HE has been described as a ‘care-less’ environment, characterised by competitive individualism within which students are assumed to be unencumbered by the responsibilities of care (Lynch, 2010; Moreau, 2016). This article details findings from a rapid evidence review and online survey of a UK research project titled Who Cares? funded by SMaRteN (the Student Mental Health Research Network). The project explored the challenges faced by SCRs with a focus on their wellbeing and was shaped by principles of co-design and collaboration and, resisting a deficit model approach, also highlights the strengths which SCRs bring to their studies and their institution. For universities to become truly inclusive, these strengths should be recognised, and ways found to empower SCRs to reshape the university into a ‘care-full’, not ‘care-less’, institution

Who Cares? Identifying, understanding, and supporting the study, work and life balance and wellbeing of students with caring responsibilities: Final Report

This project report presents the findings of ‘Who Cares?’ undertaken by Rachel Spacey, Rebecca Sanderson and Amy Zile from October 2021 to August 2022. ‘Who Cares?’ was funded by SMaRteN, grant number ES/S00324X/1. It details the motivating factors behind the project, the findings of the rapid evidence review, the online survey, and semi-structured interviews with Students with Caring Responsibilities (SCRs) in UK Higher Education (HE). The findings are discussed, and several recommendations are made. This report presents a comprehensive but concise overview of the research project for readers

Does Emotional Arousal Influence Swearing Fluency?

This study assessed the effect of experimentally manipulated emotional arousal on swearing fluency. We hypothesised that swear word generation would be increased with raised emotional arousal. The emotional arousal of 60 participants was manipulated by having them play a first-person shooter video game or, as a control, a golf video game, in a randomised order. A behavioural measure of swearing fluency based on the Controlled Oral Word Association Test was employed. Successful experimental manipulation was indicated by raised State Hostility Questionnaire scores after playing the shooter game. Swearing fluency was significantly greater after playing the shooter game compared with the golf game. Validity of the swearing fluency task was demonstrated via positive correlations with self-reported swearing fluency and daily swearing frequency. In certain instances swearing may represent a form of emotional expression. This finding will inform debates around the acceptability of using taboo language

The Mental Health of UK Postgraduate Research Students following the COVID-19 Pandemic

The mental health of postgraduate research students (PGRs) is a growing area of interest to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and researchers and has important implications for PGR wellbeing, success, and attrition. This study aimed to explore PGR experiences of mental health during the pandemic, the supervisory relationship, and seeking support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 PGRs from across the UK. Questions invited PGRs to share their experience of supervision, the impact of supervision on their mental health, and any experience of discussing mental health with their supervisor(s). The experiences of supervision varied, as did the university responses to the pandemic and levels of supervisory support. A number of PGRs felt that their supervision experiences had negatively impacted their wellbeing and reported stigma and discriminatory practices. Themes identified included discourses, supervisory knowledge, university resources, and the research culture as key factors that impacted the mental health of PGRs. Supervisors often upheld perceptions of PhD life as being isolating, with negative impacts on wellbeing to be expected, setting expectations of overworking, anxiety, and stress. The move from pandemic to post-pandemic life posed both challenges and benefits. Issues of training on mental health awareness, university processes, and accessibility of services should be considered by HEIs

The impact of providing end-of-life care during a pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of health and social care staff: Systematic review and meta-synthesis

Background: Disease outbreaks and disasters can result in excess deaths and severe disruption of usual end-of-life care processes. We aimed to: i) synthesise evidence describing the experiences of health and social care staff providing end-of-life care during a disease outbreak or humanitarian disaster, ii) understand the impact on their mental health and wellbeing and, iii) identify means of support. Methods: A systematic review with meta-synthesis was conducted including studies of health and social care staff providing end-of-life care during disease outbreaks (Ebola, COVID-19, SARs, MERs) or humanitarian disasters (2001–2020). MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and grey literature databases were searched systematically, with forward and backward citation searching of included studies. Any research study designs, in any care settings, were included. Study quality was assessed using an appraisal tool relevant to each study design. Qualitative meta-synthesis was used to analyse the findings, which were then reported narratively. PROSPERO registration: CRD42020181444. Results: Nineteen studies were included, including 10 Ebola studies and two COVID-19 studies. The analysis generated two superordinate themes: individual experience and organisational responsibilities. Individual experience comprised four themes: dignity in death, positive experiences, negative experience and support for staff. Organisational responsibilities comprised four themes: preparation, adaption, resources, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Discussion: No studies quantitively measured the impact of providing end-of-life care on staff mental health and wellbeing, however qualitative studies described experiences in varied settings. Serious disease outbreaks and disasters can expose care staff to abnormally high levels of mortality and suffering. Health and social care systems need to proactively prepare for future events and enable peer support mechanisms that may help mitigate experiences of psychological distress in humanitarian crises