The Third Half

Over the last few years, various studies have reported decreasing well-being levels among doctoral students, who show a higher risk of suffering from psychological distress than the general population. Accordingly, European policies in higher education encourage well-being promotion programs among d...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Muro Rodríguez, Anna|||0000-0002-1331-9921, Bonilla, Iván|||0000-0002-0817-8132, Tejada-Gallardo, Claudia|||0000-0002-2867-7561, Jimenez-Villamizar, M.P.|||0000-0003-2264-7422, Cladellas, Ramon|||0000-0002-0801-8462, Sanz Ruiz, Antoni|||0000-0002-7952-4477, Torregrossa, Miquel|||0000-0003-1117-9977
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:282778
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/282778
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/ijerph192416905
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Well-being promotion
Distress
Doctoral students
Mental health
Research career
Descripción
Sumario:Over the last few years, various studies have reported decreasing well-being levels among doctoral students, who show a higher risk of suffering from psychological distress than the general population. Accordingly, European policies in higher education encourage well-being promotion programs among doctoral studies to enhance young researchers' well-being. However, programs using evidence-based practices for well-being promotion are not yet generalised in public universities. The present study describes a pilot experience designed to evaluate the efficacy of a well-being program among doctoral candidates of a public European university, the Autonomous University of Barcelona. 25 doctoral students (67% women) participated in a pre-post study consisting of six sessions of 3 h each and structured by the big five criteria coming from evidence-based practices for well-being promotion: outdoor green spaces exposure, physical activity, gamification, mentoring, positive and coaching psychology techniques. Results showed how participants experienced significant increases in several indicators of emotional well-being and decreased psychological distress after the Third Half program. These positive pilot results encourage further research and future replications to assess the impact of this evidence-based psychological program among the academic community. Results also lead the way towards the creation of healthier academic workplaces by implementing cost-effective interventions that improve researchers' psychosocial support and their overall well-being.