We caught up with Helen Nicholls to talk about the findings of her recently-completed PhD studies and her pathway into academia. Helen’s work aimed to explore and better understand the mental health and wellbeing of researchers in academia. Her studies at UCL were joint funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and McPin.
After the systematic review of the literature already published, Helen wasn’t surprised by the common themes that came through. Factors impacting the wellbeing and mental health of academics were commonly: job insecurity, a ‘publish or perish’ mentality, and working beyond contracted hours to accommodate research plus teaching commitments.
Interviewing academics and funders
The second phase of the study saw Helen interviewing academics from across the UK, working in any field in higher education. Issues surfaced in these interviews were similar to the systematic review. There was certainly frustration about the wider environment of academia but what came through was that the impact of a supportive local environment was huge. A manager or supervisor who supported you in your goals and who wants to facilitate a stress-free environment was important to an academic’s wellbeing.
Helen’s third study involved her interviewing leaders in higher education (vice chancellors, deans etc) as well as leaders in the research funding space. Those she interviewed were mindful of the hierarchical nature of academia and how that can impact how much change an individual can make to improve working environments. The levels of resourcing and the competition for funding was also noted as a factor affecting wellbeing among academics.
Ultimately, improving the mental health of UK academic researchers will require a ‘multi-level approach’. We need to equip managers with the skills and knowledge they need in order to confidently support researchers’ wellbeing and their career goals at work. To address wider more complex issues such as job precarity will require co-ordination and collaboration across the many different levels of the UK higher education. Helen’s work concluded that it was vital to explore the needs and goals of each level, so that we can identify a common goal, and all move forwards together.
Route into research
Although the interview participants Helen spoke to often cited frustrations with work/life balance and a lack of job security, she was also struck by the dedication individuals had for their field of research. They were passionate about helping people, either with their research and through their teaching. They spoke animatedly about helping their students reach their own goals. Alongside the insight Helen gained into how mental health and wellbeing can be improved for UK academics, she also said:
I got to learn about fields I’d had no contact with before – maths, arts, humanities, and hard sciences like biology – and that was pretty amazing.
After an undergraduate degree in psychology, Helen went into clinical psychology, starting with agency support work. Interested in returning to studying, she went on to King’s College London to study for a masters in mental health studies. A module that struck a chord with her covered disaster response – thinking about mental health in the aftermath of a disaster. Helen is currently working on a study looking at what helps individuals working in the emergency services and the military following a traumatic event in their work lives.
Wellbeing in the workplace is a strong theme when Helen talks about her own path in practice and in academia, as well as the central thread for her PhD studies. When reflecting on her time as an assistant psychologist at an adult acute mental health ward, Helen credits a great team as a contributing factor to her wellbeing.
Beginning her PhD in September 2020, during the pandemic, Helen worked from home for the duration of her research. She acknowledges that she had a very different experience to PhD students before her, crucially missing out on that in-person peer support. From the beginning, Helen was brought into the research group by her PhD supervisors, creating what Helen explores in her research: a supportive local environment.
You can read Helen Nicholls’ thesis here: “We need to take care of our researchers”: a qualitative exploration of the occupational mental health experiences and support needs of UK academic researchers
