Mental health during studies and doctoral studies: problems and solutions (StuPsy)
Research has consistently shown that studying and pursuing a doctorate can be psychologically demanding. Academic pressure, stress, financial concerns, and uncertainty about future career prospects can pose significant challenges to students and doctoral candidates alike. The extent of these challenges often depends on individuals’ social circumstances and the resources available to help them cope with academic demands. Despite growing public and scholarly attention to the topic, important gaps in knowledge remain, particularly with regard to longitudinal evidence on how mental health develops over the course of higher education and doctoral training.
The StuPsy project therefore investigates how mental health challenges emerge during these life phases, how they affect educational trajectories and outcomes, and which interventions and support mechanisms may help mitigate their consequences. The project is guided by a multidimensional understanding of mental health that encompasses clinical indicators (e.g., sickness absence and mental health disorders), cognitive dimensions (e.g., well-being, life satisfaction, and self-rated health), and affective dimensions (e.g., perceived stress and psychological strain).
Research Objectives
Adopting a life-course perspective, StuPsy follows individuals from the transition into higher education through their studies and, where applicable, into doctoral training. The project addresses five central research questions:
- How does mental health influence decisions to enter higher education and pursue a doctorate?
- How does mental health affect academic success and progression during studies and doctoral training?
- Which demands and challenges within higher education contribute to psychological strain?
- Which resources, such as social support, learning environments, and financial security, help protect and promote mental health?
- How do social inequalities shape the reciprocal relationship between mental health and educational success or failure in higher education, and which groups are particularly vulnerable?
To answer these questions, the project draws on large-scale longitudinal datasets, including NEPS, Nacaps, SiD, SLC, and SeSaBa. These data make it possible to examine changes in mental health and educational trajectories over extended periods of time.
The overarching aim of StuPsy is to generate scientifically robust and practically relevant evidence that enables higher education institutions to identify mental health risks at an early stage, develop effective support measures, and foster the well-being and success of both students and doctoral researchers.
Publications
Neugebauer, M., Becker, M., Bihler, L.-M., & Wagner, J. (2025). Well-being scarring effects of college non-completion. Social Science Research, 127, 103138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.103138
Neugebauer, M., Patzina, A., Dietrich, H., & Sandner, M. (2024). Two pandemic years greatly reduced young people’s life satisfaction: Evidence from a comparison with pre-COVID-19 panel data. European Sociological Review, 40(5), 872–886. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcad077
Becker, M., Bihler, L.-M., Neugebauer, M., & Wagner, J. (2025). Testing the psychological costs of intergenerational social mobility: Evidence from a German panel study. Social Science & Medicine, 384, 118522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118522
Project Team
The project is being carried out as a collaborative effort under the leadership of Dr Nicolai Netz (DZHW).
Team at the PHKA
Organisation
Karlsruhe University of Education
Building
2
Room
B306
Phone
Availability
By arrangement
Organisation
Karlsruhe University of Education
Building
2
Room
B301
Phone
Availability
By arrangement
External Academic Partners
- Dr. Nicolai Netz (Project Leader, Deutsches Zentrum für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung)
- Mareike Rußmann (Deutsches Zentrum für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung)
- Dr. Johann Carstensen (Deutsches Zentrum für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung)
- Heiko Quast (Deutsches Zentrum für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung)
- Dr. Hüseyin Hilmi Yildirim (FernUniversität in Hagen)
- Prof. Dr. John Cullinan (University of Galway)
Practice Partners
- Prof. Dr. Beate Schücking (Deutsches Studierendenwerk)
- Danja Oste (Deutsches Studierendenwerk)
- Dr. Jan Kercher (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst)
Partners
Funded by:
Updated on 25 June 2026 by Carolin Baumann