Risks to mental health of higher degree by research (HDR) students during a global pandemic

Charlotte Brownlow; Douglas Eacersall; Charles W Nelson; Renée L Parsons-Smith; Peter C Terry

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279698

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Risks to mental health of higher degree by research (HDR) students during a global pandemic

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Risks to mental health of higher degree by research (HDR) students during a global pandemic

Charlotte Brownlow, Douglas Eacersall, Charles W Nelson, Renée L Parsons-Smith and Peter C Terry

PLoS One, Vol.17(12), pp.1-16

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279698

PMCID: PMC9794097

PMID: 36574430

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected university students globally. Our study investigated mental health indicators among higher degree by research (HDR) students at a regional university in Queensland, Australia. A total of 231 HDR students (female = 137, male = 94) completed the Brunel Mood Scale to assess the constructs of Tension, Depression, Anger, Vigor, Fatigue, and Confusion. A subset of 11 students participated in three focus groups to explore their experiences. Results showed that reported mood among HDR students was generally more negative than population norms, although more positive than moods reported previously during the pandemic. A total of 52 participants (22.5%) reported mood profiles that indicated elevated risk of mental ill-health. Mood profiles varied significantly by gender, age, study mode (full-time/part-time), location (on-campus/online), and citizenship (domestic/international). Quantitative data were supported by focus group findings, which identified mental health and wellbeing as key themes of concern to HDR students. Our findings indicate that support mechanisms to safeguard the mental health and wellbeing of HDR students should be a priority for universities.

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Title: Risks to mental health of higher degree by research (HDR) students during a global pandemic
Authors: Charlotte Brownlow (Corresponding Author) - University of Southern Queensland
Douglas Eacersall (Author) - University of Southern Queensland
Charles W Nelson (Author) - University of Southern Queensland
Renée L Parsons-Smith (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Peter C Terry (Author) - University of Southern Queensland
Publication details: PLoS One, Vol.17(12), pp.1-16
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279698
ISSN: 1932-6203
PMID: 36574430; PMC9794097
Copyright note: © 2022 Brownlow et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Organisation Unit: School of Law and Society; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99695748802621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Education & Educational Research

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