Navigating the doctoral journey: A qualitative study on PhD scholars' well-being in Pakistan.

Background & objective: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) scholars face unique challenges during their academic journey, frequently encountering substantial stressors that impact their overall well-being. We aimed to explore the concept and domains of well-being from PhD scholars' perspectives, focusing on the factors that affect their well-being during doctoral studies.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted over a period of six months, involving eleven in-depth interviews with medical and allied health sciences PhD scholars from nine universities across Pakistan using a qualitative phenomenology approach. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit participants, and an interview guide was developed after critically appraising the literature, feedback from medical education experts, and a pilot test. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data.

Results: Five main themes, accompanied by ten sub-themes, have been developed based on the socioecological theoretical framework, aligning with the key findings from eleven in-depth interviews. Five themes were identified from this study: (i)Well-being at the Individual Level, with the subthemes of mental, physical and emotional well-being and time management and work-life balance, (ii)Well-being at the Interpersonal Level, with the subthemes of supervisor and peer support and family and social support, (iii)Well-being at the Institutional Level, with the subthemes of administrative and financial support and academic stress and resources, (iv)Well-being at the Community Level, with the subthemes of professional growth and networking and cultural and gender influences and (v)Well-being at the Policy Level with the subthemes of HEC and institutional policy gaps and financial and research policy. This multifaceted approach offers a comprehensive understanding of the well-being of PhD scholars by addressing factors at multiple levels.

Conclusion: This study highlighted the multifaceted dimensions of well-being of PhD scholars at individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy levels. PhD scholars' mental, physical, and emotional health is influenced by time management and academic pressure. PhD scholars' interpersonal well-being depends on supervisors, peers, and family support. Effective administrative systems, financial support, and academic resources reduce scholar stress and improve institutional well-being. Opportunities for professional growth, networking, and cultural and gender recognition in the community are crucial for improving PhD scholars' well-being. Our results showed the need for policy reforms that prioritise research-focused PhD programs over coursework-focused ones, create more flexible publication criteria, and ensure enough financial assistance.