Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Professional Conduct: Exploring Mental Health Related Issues for Graduate Students
Paper Session
Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM (EST)
- Chair: Lee Badgett, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Insights from a Graduate Student Mental Health Study and a Promising Initiative
Abstract
What do we know about the prevalence and severity of mental health issues in economics? How might the graduate experience be connected to student mental health? What can students, faculty, and administrators do to make improvements?Mental Health Among Graduate Students: Needs, Solutions, and Research Opportunities
Abstract
This presentation will begin with an overview of data on the prevalence and correlates of mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety among graduate students. We will then review potential interventions to improve mental health among graduate students, based on available evidence and recent expert reports by the Council for Graduate Studies and the National Academies of Sciences and Medicine. We will conclude with an overview of major gaps in available evidence, which represents an opportunity for new research to make an important impact.Graduate Students' Mental Health as a Shared Responsibility
Abstract
Although mental health is experienced individually, there is much that faculty mentors, departments, and societies can do to create conditions conducive to mental health and to support students who are struggling. This presentation will first examine recent research as well as reports from the National Academies and Council of Graduate Schools about social and organizational factors in graduate student mental health, including their relationships to issues of diversity and inclusion. Then we will outline PhD program structures and mentoring approaches to consider, as well as questions about the alignment of typical academic and disciplinary cultural values with the goal of mental health.JEL Classifications
- A1 - General Economics