Update from Sabrina: funding for research on PG mental health
Friday 01-06-2018 - 16:12
After the successful launch of our PG Mental Health Matters campaign, I’m pleased to announce a brand new project looking into the mental health of postgraduate research students (PGRs) that I hope will make some headway in this area.
Over the last few months I have been advocating for PGR mental health within Durham University, and this brand new project is one of the really positive outcomes of the work that has been taking place between Durham SU and the University.
While students’ mental health is a well-known issue and a large concern across Universities, research often focusses on undergraduates, leaving PGRs neglected. This is a big problem, given that the nature of the research environment, and a number of other factors, means mental health among postgraduates is often poorer than average.
Durham University has been awarded a grant from the HEFCE Catalyst fund, which will be used to develop an online educational resource to support postgraduate research students’ mental health and wellbeing. This will focus on the role of the supervisory relationship, and the training resource will help both supervisors and their supervisees.
Undertaking a PhD can put a huge strain on the mental health of PGRs, and the supervisory relationship is often a major factor that can help or hinder the research experience of PhD candidates. I am hopeful that this research can make a real difference.
You can find out more on the University’s website here, or learn more about our PG Mental Health Matters campaign here.
