Initial findings of a longitudinal study of wellbeing and mental health among graduate students around the world: The intra-individual impact of a pandemic

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of graduate students at universities and research institutions around the world. In so doing, it assesses the intra-individual effects of pandemic-related restrictions on a key cohort in academia: doctoral candidates. We trace this cohort’s ability to adapt to the pandemic over a two-year period by investigating their quality of mental health, indicators of mental health disorders, and indicators of wellbeing and resilience. A consensual qualitative research methodology was adopted when analyzing data gathered during April 2020 and February 2022. The study uses Ecological Systems Theory as a framework, providing insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the wellbeing and mental health of graduate students in myriad ways. The researchers found that while the pandemic negatively affected cognitive processes, a significant proportion of doctoral candidates exhibited remarkable levels of resistance and reconfiguration resilience and short-term improvements in mental health during the period under investigation.