Well-Being And Mental Health of Early Career Researchers in Croatia: A Longitudinal Study

The main building block of scientific progress is the human capital: Motivated researchers are crucial for meeting the intense demands of high-quality research, as well as for the development and transfer of knowledge. The way researchers experience their work is important not only for them as individuals, but also for the functioning of their organization and for their scientific output (Kismihók et al., 2022; Signoret et al., 2019). In a recent longitudinal study, Jensen et al. (2021) showed that psychosocial factors, such as fair work conditions and supportive social climate within the research environment significantly impact future research performance, with the highest impact on the quality of the publications. Unfortunately, recent research shows alarming levels of mental health risks and declining well-being among researchers, particularly early career researchers (ECRs), i.e., doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers (Kismihók et al., 2022). For instance, a study by Levecque et al. (2017) found that half of the participants (3659 doctoral researchers working in Belgium) were experiencing psychological distress, and one third of them was at risk of stress-related mental health issues, particularly depression. Similarly, in a study among 1600 doctoral candidates in the Netherlands, Mattijssen et al (2021) found that almost half of them were at risk of developing a psychiatric disorder, while 39% showed severe symptoms of burnout and 40% reported consistently high or very high workload. Finally, a recent meta-analysis demonstrated that ECRs have up to three times higher risk for depression and anxiety symptoms compared to the general population (Satinsky, et al., 2021). These negative trends in ECRs’ well-being and mental health do not seem to be limited only to specific countries or contexts and signal that ECRs’ work conditions present a substantial problem that needs to be addressed (Brajdić Vuković, 2013; González-Rico et al., 2016; Kismihók et al., 2022). Work conditions−specific features of academic work contexts―related to the negative trends in ECRs’ well-being and mental health include structural overwork (Brajdić Vuković & Vignjević, 2017; Frei & Grund, 2020; Turk & Ledić, 2016), high job insecurity and fixed term contracts (Passaretta et al., 2019), power abuse (Cohen & Baruch, 2021), and rapidly increasing performance standards (Bal et al., 2019; Sverdlik et al. 2018). Relationships with mentor plays especially important role and can have strong positive or negative influences on ECRs’ progress, well-being, and mental health (Cardilini et al., 2021; Cornwall et al., 2019). Besides a moral imperative deriving from the duty of care that employers have toward ECRs, these alarming rates of poor well-being and high prevalence of mental health issues among ECRs must be addressed as ECRs represent researchers in training, and, as such, they are fundamental for the future of scientific progress. Therefore, in order to analyze the mechanisms that can foster (vs. thwart) ECRs’ well-being, building upon the job demands-resources theory (JD-R; Bakker & de Vries, 2021), this project aims to gain more detailed insights into the interplay between ECRs’ work conditions, personal characteristics, well-being, and mental health. More concretely, the ECR-WELL project aims: 1. To gain in-depth insights into the ECRs’ experiences and understandings of their well-being and mental health in the context of their work conditions and their personal characteristics, using qualitative methodology (i.e., focus groups). In addition, the project assumes interviews with ECRs’ mentors, which will enable in-depth understanding of the mentors’ understanding of which processes enable ECRs to thrive (vs. languish). 2. To examine the longitudinal interplay between ECRs’ individual (i.e., socio-demographic background, personality traits, personal demands, and resources) and contextual factors (i.e., work conditions-job demands and resources), and their well-being and mental health over time, using a six-wave longitudinal survey throughout three years via a custom-made on-line application. 3. To examine whether a customized job crafting intervention can be considered a worthwhile strategy for improving ECRs’ work conditions, and, in turn, their well-being, and mental health. In studying ECRs’ well-being and mental health, the project employs mixed method research design and combines between-person and within-person approach by considering specific personal and work circumstances, as well as longer-term fluctuations in work-related experiences, thus positioning well-being and mental health as dynamic processes. Project team: Maja Tadić Vujčić (Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Filip Majetić (Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Mirta Blažev (Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Ivan Dević (Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Maja Ribar (Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Divna Blažev (Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Tomislav Hernaus (Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb), Marko Turk (University of Tyumen), Ivana Maurović (Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, University of Zagreb), Ana Havelka Meštrović (RIT Croatia), Anna Muro (Autonomous University of Barcelona) i Stefan Mol (University of Amsterdam).