The Impact of PhD Supervisor-Student Relationship Types on Doctoral Students' Depression

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 3:35 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: The Psychosocial Dimensions of Academic Achievement for Collegians (Table 9)

Abstract

Depression and anxiety have become prevalent among doctoral students in recent years. Using Leary's Interpersonal Circumplex Model, a questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the relationship between PhD supervisor-student relationship types and doctoral students' depression. Results indicated that leadership-cooperation and cooperation-submission relationships were negatively correlated with depression, while submission-resistance and resistance-leadership relationships were positively correlated. Additionally, psychological resilience and self-esteem of doctoral students significantly mediate the relationship between supervisory relationship types and depression. However, doctoral students in extended years exhibited significantly higher depression levels compared to those in earlier years.

Authors

• Hua Jiang, Dalian University of Technology

• Yuxin Guo, Dalian University of Technology

• Xinqiao Liu, Tianjin University