City Research Online

Abstract

There is a well-recognised mental health and wellbeing crisis among the undergraduate population in UK higher education. However, the wellbeing of postgraduate research students (PGRs) and the effectiveness of university strategies in supporting PGR wellbeing are much less understood. Early research shows that PGRs’ wellbeing is impacted by their loneliness. These initial studies are limited however, primarily considering loneliness using qualitative approaches and treating it as a unidimensional phenomenon. Our study addresses these limitations, using a quantitative approach to investigate the impact of loneliness (as a multidimensional phenomenon) on PGR wellbeing and the effectiveness of institutional strategies to support PGR wellbeing. We conduct regression analyses on the wellbeing of PGRs, focusing on components of loneliness and stress as predictors. Analysis demonstrates social loneliness and stress separately predict lower PGR wellbeing. Further analysis reveals PGRs who experience both social loneliness and stress have additional declines in their wellbeing. Results also suggest typical strategies used by universities to support students are ineffective within the PGR community. Findings improve understanding of the nature of PGR wellbeing and loneliness providing a platform for further work to improve PGR support and wellbeing.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). European Journal of Education published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher Keywords:	Subjective wellbeing; postgraduate researchers; loneliness; stress; support strategies
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Psychology
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

Export

Downloads