In this session, Posselt will share results from a two-year National Academy of Education fellowship on equity and mental health in graduate education. Study 1 is a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary analysis of depression and anxiety among US graduate and professional students. Using a sample of more than 20,000 students randomly sampled within 69 universities, depression and anxiety prevalence were compared among fields of study, using hierarchical cluster modeling. Then, fixed effects multivariate logistic regressions were estimated to measure how depression and anxiety are associated with experiencing racial discrimination; support from faculty, friends and family; and competitiveness in one's classes. Study 2 is a qualitative, phenomenological study of the forms and sources of support that women and underrepresented minority students in high-diversity STEM PhD programs report as salient to their persistence and wellbeing. She will close with implications for graduate students and people in a position to mentor and support them.

Faculty Support & Student Mental Health in STEM Graduate and Professional Programs

Julie Posselt, PhD