US faculty members report high levels of anxiety

""We started looking at the literature, and there is a lot of interest in mental-health issues in students and trainees, but there is not so much attention paid to the mental-health status of faculty," Holz says. "So, we set out to get a quick lay of the land about what anxiety looks like in academics.""

"The researchers paired the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire with a questionnaire about participants' academic backgrounds. More than 500 people responded initially, focusing on health professions, before expanding to include another 2,106 respondents."

Studies reveal that academics, particularly in health disciplines, report significant job-related anxiety. This anxiety is linked to various stressors such as grant cycles and mentoring responsibilities. The research highlights the importance of familial and social support networks in managing anxiety levels among faculty members. The studies utilized the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire to assess anxiety among faculty, initially focusing on health professionals before expanding to a broader academic audience. Over 2,600 faculty members participated, providing insights into the mental health challenges faced in academia.

Read at Nature