25 percent of scientists in the Netherlands suffer from depression or anxiety

Nearly two thousand academics, ranging from PhD students to professors, completed an anonymous survey sent by The Young Academy, an association of relatively young scientists. The results show that many scientists in the Netherlands suffer from mental health issues. The Young Academy associates these results with social insecurity, publication pressure and fixed-term contracts.

Around 25 per cent of respondents suffer from moderate to severe symptoms of depression. Almost as many scientists reported symptoms of anxiety. This does not mean, however, that they have depression or anxiety. It only means that they have reported symptoms like low mood, insomnia, tension and excessive worrying.

“We already knew that the mental health of academics, particularly PhD students, is under pressure, but postdocs and lecturers also appear to be vulnerable,” says Joeri Tijdink, a psychiatrist and researcher at AmsterdamUMC and one of the authors of the report. 

Why are young researchers particularly vulnerable?
“Academia has a strong hierarchy, which generates a competitive culture. Moreover, the funding available for research is limited, which further intensifies that competition. In addition, young researchers face significant uncertainty due to temporary contracts. It is not uncommon for postdocs to chain several temporary contracts in succession, which makes them feel anxious and uncertain."

According to the report, there are also significant differences between researchers who grew up in the Netherlands and researchers who didn't.
“That’s correct. Foreign researchers tend to have more mental health issues and derive less satisfaction from their jobs, which may be due to the lack of a social network. Building such a network is often more difficult for a foreign researcher, as making friends can be tricky and their family doesn’t live nearby."

Do we also see differences between men and women?
“We were expecting to see that. In the general population, symptoms such as anxiety and depression are more common among women than among men. The same was verified in our study: among our respondents, more women than men reported anxiety symptoms. Strikingly, we saw no difference between men and women when it came to depressive symptoms: men and women are just as likely to experience those. We don't know why. We would need to investigate this further to find the reasons.”

This is not the first time that scientists' mental health is discussed. What makes this problem so persistent?
“It has to do with the research climate. We have created a culture of hyper-competition in Dutch academia. In such an environment, you quickly end up working excessively, especially when your manager or supervisor does the same. Working overtime soon becomes the norm. In the survey, respondents were asked to react to the following statement: 'I feel pressured to work longer than my regular hours' More than 50 percent of them agreed with it."

Despite all the stress and mental health issues, scientists' levels of job satisfaction are relatively high. How do you explain that?
“This tension was actually one of the reasons for launching the study. We know scientists are under a lot of stress and pressure, but at the same time, they consider their work enjoyable and rewarding. How can these two things be reconciled? Well, that's because many researchers regard their work as a passion: more than fifty percent of our respondents describe it as the best job in the world. They feel they are contributing to solving societal problems, which gives them a sense of purpose. It makes their work meaningful and inspiring.”

What needs to change if we want to tackle these problems?
“You could always say that scientific research needs more funding, but it’s a myth that more money will solve all the problems. Other factors can make a difference too, such as a safe and pleasant research culture, and investments in good leadership. Furthermore, a strong social network is linked to fewer mental health issues. Institutions can help scholars build their network by encouraging social activities or ensuring researchers work fewer overtime hours. This is particularly important for international researchers, so that they can settle in properly here.”

What about young academics?
“We need more stable positions. Academics often face a great deal of uncertainty in the beginning of their careers. If we offer more permanent contracts, this may positively affect their mental health. We also need to talk more about job satisfaction. We often talk about how demanding an academic career is, but we don't talk as much about what makes people happy at their jobs. Of course, there is a problem, but it’s also wonderful to work in academia; there is so much beauty in it. We should focus more on that.”