Journal of Economic Literature · 2022 · Valentin Bolotnyy、Matthew Basilico、Paul Barreira
中文摘要
我们使用经临床验证的调查问卷，研究了美国八个排名靠前的经济学博士项目中研究生的心理健康状况。我们发现，24.8%的学生存在中度或重度抑郁或焦虑症状，这一比例是普通人群平均水平的两倍多。尽管我们的应答率为45.1%，且存在对样本选择的担忧，但保守的下限估计仍提示，此类症状的出现比例高于普通人群。心理健康问题在博士项目接近结束时尤为普遍：就读第6年及以上的学生中，36.7%存在中度或重度抑郁或焦虑症状，而一年级学生中这一比例为21.2%。在存在这些症状的经济学学生中，25.2%正在接受治疗，而其他项目中存在这些症状的研究生接受治疗的比例为41.4%。表示无法与导师坦诚讨论心理健康问题的经济学学生比例，与表示无法与导师轻松讨论非学术职业选择的比例相近，均为40%至50%。只有26%的经济学学生认为自己的工作始终或大多数时候是有用的，而经济学教师中这一比例为70%，劳动年龄人口中为63%。我们为学生、教师和管理人员提供了改善研究生心理健康的建议。（JEL：A23、I12、I18、I23）
Abstract
We study the mental health of graduate students at eight top-ranked economics PhD programs in the United States using clinically validated surveys. We find that 24.8 percent experience moderate or severe symptoms of depression or anxiety—more than two times the population average. Though our response rate was 45.1 percent and sample selection concerns exist, conservative lower bounds nonetheless suggest higher prevalence rates of such symptoms than in the general population. Mental health issues are especially prevalent at the end of the PhD program: 36.7 percent of students in years 6+ of their program experience moderate or severe symptoms of depression or anxiety, versus 21.2 percent of first-year students. Of economics students with these symptoms, 25.2 percent are in treatment, compared to 41.4 percent of graduate students in other programs. A similar percentage of economics students (40–50 percent) say they cannot honestly discuss mental health with advisers as say they cannot easily discuss nonacademic career options with them. Only 26 percent find their work to be useful always or most of the time, compared to 70 percent of economics faculty and 63 percent of the working age population. We provide recommendations for students, faculty, and administrators on ways to improve graduate student mental health. (JEL A23, I12, I18, I23)