WP2 - Potential Advantage: Do well-being and mental health strategies offered by universities improve the well-being and mental health of Post-Graduate Research (PGR) students?

Potential Advantage investigated whether involvement in a well-being activity (over the autumn and spring terms) impacted the mental health and well-being of PGRs, exploring predictors of PGR mental health and well-being at Warwick University. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs showed that participation in a well-being activity did not predict changes to mental health or well-being. However, the regression models revealed predictors of poor mental health and well-being for PGRs, including high perceived stress, loneliness, and poor work-life balance. These results give scope for re-focusing and improving the mental health and well-being of PGRs by identifying correlates which may contribute to poor mental health and well-being. Based on data from this project and a related project on PhD supervision, we make recommendations about refocusing the nature and scope of developmental support available to PGRs as part of a broader institutional strategy for improving the mental health and wellbeing of the PGR community.