A proof of concept for Hopelessness Theory of Depression: attributions help explain why stressors in scientific research can exacerbate depression among undergraduates and graduates - International Journal of STEM Education Background The process of conducting research has been shown to impact depression among undergraduate and graduate students in the sciences. While prior work has established that experiencing failure, negative social interactions, and insufficient guidance in research experiences can exacerbate students’ depressive symptoms, why these stressors in research worsen depressive symptoms has not been examined. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this relationship is integral to promoting mental health in science and consequently improving students’ learning and productivity. In this study, we aimed to assess whether Abramson’s Hopelessness Theory of Depression helps explain why encountering stressors in research can exacerbate science students’ depressive symptoms. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 74 researchers who identified as having depression: 24 undergraduate and 50 graduate students engaging in scientific research across 55 U.S. institutions. We used deductive coding to assess whether students made internal, stable, and global attributions when discussing why stressors in research exacerbated their depressive symptoms. Results and conclusions We found that the Hopelessness Theory of Depression helps explain why particular stressors in research can lead to worsening symptoms of depression among undergraduate and graduate researchers. Participants attributed stressors in research to internal, stable, and global causes, which engendered feelings of hopelessness, consequently exacerbating depressive symptoms. This work serves as a proof of concept for the Hopelessness Theory of Depression in the context of U.S. undergraduate and graduate scientific research experiences. The study provides insight into how interventions can target individuals’ thought processes to alleviate depressive symptoms in the context of research experiences to promote learning and productivity.

How you attribute challenging events in #research matters. Check out our new article looking at how Hopelessness Theory of Depression applies to #PhD students with #depression.
stemeducationjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10....

Did you know that Fail Safe Science has a podcast? Each week we drop a new 10 min. episode of a scientist sharing a challenge they wen through in grad school, how they coped with it, and advice for the current generation of scientists. Check it out! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...

YouTube video by Fail-Safe Science Fail-Safe Science Promo Trailer

Fail-Safe Science (risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe) is a resource for anyone who has ever failed or experienced a challenge in grad school (🙋‍♀️). Check it out and pass it on!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Ue...
#gradlife #phd

Today we're launching Fail-Safe Science! In this video repository, successful #scientists describe a challenge they overcame in #gradschool. It's mean to help #grads realize they're not alone when facing challenges. Check out this @asunewsofficial.bsky.social article: news.asu.edu/b/20250915-f...

Trans researchers under attack: LGBTQ+ biologists face hostile work environment Largest survey of LGBTQ+ biologists finds 40% of trans and gender-nonconforming, and 20% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer researchers, experience hostility, intimidation or offensive behaviour at w...

shared a bit of my experiences being trans in STEM a bit ago, excited to see the article out!

and cis folks: the statistics here are from *before* the current dumpster fire, just for context. so just imagine for a second how much worse things are now

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

LGBTQ+ realities in the biological sciences While scientific environments have been described as unwelcoming to the LGBGQ+ community, and fields like physics have systematically documented these challenges, the climate in biology workplaces has...

really honored to be a part of this amazing work by @kateycooper.bsky.social and the LGBTQ+ Committee @ascbiology.bsky.social on quantifying the queer experience in biology. unfortunately, it is as timely as ever. thank you so much to everyone involved.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Harsh criticism and unreasonable expectations worsen PhD students’ mental health Research and teaching pressures can exacerbate anxiety and depression, causing many young scientists to consider quitting, a survey finds.

New @nature.com piece on our research examining what's behind the #grad #mentalhealth crisis. Please share, it's time we make some changes! www.nature.com/articles/d41...

New work reveals the impact of anxiety & depression on PhD students.
"Anxiety and depression can have a substantially detrimental impact on graduate students’ experiences [..] and likely also contribute to increased time to degree and student attrition."
nature.com/articles/s41...

New research from our lab examining the impact of #research and #teaching on grad student #mentalhealth. Please share! Bringing attention to this topic is step 1.

New work from our lab looking at the aspects of research and teaching that affect grad #mentalhealth!