Graduate Student And Faculty Mental Health

Elisa Macchi, Clara Sievert, Valentin Bolotnyy and Paul Barreira

American Journal of Health Economics, 2026, vol. 12, issue 3, 562 - 609

Abstract: We study the mental health of graduate students and faculty at 14 economics departments in Europe. Using clinically validated surveys sent out in the fall of 2021, we find that 34.7 percent of graduate students experience moderate to severe symptoms of depression or anxiety and 17.3 percent report suicidal or self-harm ideation in a two-week period. We find that 19.2 percent of students with significant symptoms are in treatment. Among faculty members, 15.8 percent experience moderate to severe depression or anxiety symptoms, with prevalence higher among nontenure track (42.9 percent) and tenure track (31.4 percent) faculty than tenured (9.6 percent) faculty. We estimate that the COVID-19 pandemic accounts for about 74 percent of the higher prevalence of depression symptoms and 30 percent of the higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms in our European sample relative to a 2017 US sample of economics graduate students. We also document issues in the work environment, including a high incidence of sexual harassment, and make recommendations for improvement.

Date: 2026
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