The Discussions
Dr Dave Watson and Dr John Turnpenny from University of East Anglia list the following as factors that can have a negative impact of a PGR's mental health in their report Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Postgraduate Research students:
Pressures of doctoral research – normalization of PGR study as a stressful experience and lack of support.
Supervisory relationship – structure and quality of working relationship with supervisors.
Financial concerns – scholarship conditions and length and pressures of combining study with paid work.
Workload and control – PGRs can face multiple, diverse and competing demands not all of which are directly related to the programme of study.
Harassment – close interpersonal relationships, dependence and cultural differences can create conditions for harassment.
Professional development and career progression – variable provision and access to facilities and training as well as multiple career trajectories of PGRs can create challenges.
Research progress – the rate at which students progress and in particular their perception of this process.
Academic identity – scholarly community, feelings of inadequacy and lack of fit with department, supervisors or academia in general can be problematic.
Individual factors – personality, family situation and other characteristics or situations specific to the individual play a role, potentially heightening wellbeing risks for some.
Management of self and motivation – independent program of study and working presents challenges for managing time and work and can also increase isolation
watson, dave (n.d.). Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Postgraduate Research students: A rapid review Dr Dave Watson.
Each table/group will be discussing one of the above issues and answering:
Is this an issue at the University of Sheffield?
What is done/could be done on a supervisory level to support this issue?
What is done/could be done on a departmental level to support this issue?
What is done/could be done on a whole institutional level to support this issue?
NB. You may find it useful to read the full paper before the event, a copy is on the Further Resources page of this website
Each group will have a facilitator to prompt discussion and ensure the conversation stays on topic. The facilitator will also be making notes so that we can summarise the conversations and share the results with all attendees at a later point. A copy of their handout for note taking is here