Even with Master's and PhDs, 'Employment is Uncertain'... Poor Graduate Students' Precarious Mental Health

5 Times Higher Compared to General Population
"Impact of Employment Instability and Economic Poverty"

Last October, a graduate student in their 20s at Seoul National University in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, left a note expressing that "studying is difficult" and took their own life in a campus library restroom. Among peers, there was a reaction that "death does not feel like someone else's issue."

According to a recent survey, the mental health of graduate students is at a serious level, with over 20% responding that they had thought about suicide within the past year. Unlike before, when a certain social status was guaranteed after graduation, the current reality is that master's and doctoral degrees no longer ensure job security. Economic poverty and the closed nature unique to laboratories are also analyzed to have a negative impact on graduate students' mental health.

According to the "Mental Health Status Survey of Student Research Workers" conducted by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital on about 350 graduate students, 20.2% responded that they had thought about suicide within the past year (suicidal ideation), which is about one in five. The response rate for "having specifically planned suicide within the past year" (suicide plan) was also 7.7%. Compared to the general population (suicidal ideation 4.4%, suicide plan 1.3%), these figures are about five times and seven times higher, respectively.

A significant number of graduate students showed suspected symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression. The most common symptom was depression (30.7%), followed by anxiety disorder (23.0%), sleep disorder (19.5%), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (9.6%). Professor Lee Min-yoon of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Severance Hospital, who conducted the study, explained, "Many graduate students showed new experiences of depression, anxiety, and panic symptoms or worsening of previously existing mental illnesses," adding, "Many also complained of psychological difficulties such as burnout."

The anxiety among graduate students stems from uncertainties in the job market and economic poverty. Most graduate students work under their advisors on administrative tasks or project research, but their status as workers is unclear, often leading them to perform tasks without economic compensation. Moreover, the number of people struggling to find employment even after graduation is increasing. In this study, most respondents said they had experience participating in projects typically conducted in their advisor's lab, but 16% reported having "no fixed income at all."

Lee (25), a graduate student at a university in Seoul, said, "Looking at my peers, almost all are doing project research, teaching assistant duties, participating in professors' research, and even personal research while working part-time to cover living expenses." He added, "Even after enduring this for two years, since employment is not guaranteed after graduation, many friends are considering quitting midway."

Experts advise that making graduate students' labor transparent through written agreements during research activities and regularly providing counseling and advisory services can help maintain their mental health.

Professor Lee Cheol-gap of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Chosun University analyzed, "In the past, there was a perception that even with little economic compensation, obtaining a master's or doctoral degree guaranteed a relatively stable path after graduation. However, nowadays, even after enduring difficulties and graduating, social status is uncertain, causing many graduate students to feel anxious."

He continued, "It is necessary to make the currently shadowy labor of graduate students transparent by signing written agreements such as teaching assistant agreements before performing project research tasks. Additionally, it is important for individual advisors to expand and manage career and psychological counseling for graduate students."