Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of PhD support groups as an intervention that improves mental well-being and increases confidence in timely PhD completion.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants of six PhD support groups, which we co-facilitated, completed a survey at the start of the intervention and at the end of the eight weeks of attendance. The survey measured subjective well-being and confidence in completion using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and statements from the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (2017 and 2019). The final survey also included open-ended questions to identify the helpful factors of the intervention.

Findings

Participants’ subjective well-being scores increased considerably over the eight weeks of group attendance and improved from initial score ranges associated with risk of depression or psychological distress. As a result of feeling understood and supported by other group members, participants felt less isolated and anxious, were more satisfied with their life and work-life balance, and felt more confident about completing their PhD within the institutional time frame. The results confirm previous findings on the positive effects of social support and the relationship between poor well-being and attrition.

Practical implications

Support groups could form an integral part of university support as they increase well-being and could improve retention.

Originality/value

Existing literature mainly highlights factors that affect postgraduate researchers’ well-being, with limited research on innovative interventions. This paper investigates the impact of social support in a facilitated peer group that focuses on the emotional and psychological aspects of the PhD experience, rather than peer group learning or support with specific research tasks.

中文翻译：

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通过支持小组提高研究生研究人员的福祉

目的

本文旨在检查博士支持小组作为一种干预措施的有效性，该干预可改善心理健康并增加对及时完成博士的信心。

设计/方法/方法

我们共同促成的六个博士支持小组的参与者在干预开始时和八周出勤结束时完成了一项调查。该调查使用 Warwick-Edinburgh 心理健康量表和研究生研究经验调查（2017 年和 2019 年）的陈述来衡量主观幸福感和完成信心。最终调查还包括开放式问题，以确定干预的有用因素。

发现

参与者的主观幸福感分数在八周的小组出勤中显着增加，并且比与抑郁或心理困扰风险相关的初始分数范围有所改善。由于感受到其他小组成员的理解和支持，参与者感到不那么孤立和焦虑，对他们的生活和工作与生活的平衡更加满意，对在机构时间框架内完成博士学位更有信心。结果证实了先前关于社会支持的积极影响以及幸福感不佳与自然减员之间关系的发现。

实际影响

支持小组可以成为大学支持的一个组成部分，因为它们可以增加福祉并可以提高保留率。

原创性/价值

现有文献主要强调影响研究生研究人员福祉的因素，对创新干预措施的研究有限。本文调查了社会支持在促进型同伴群体中的影响，该群体侧重于博士经历的情感和心理方面，而不是同伴群体学习或对特定研究任务的支持。