Table 1 Summary of included articles.

From: Systematic review and meta-analysis of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among Ph.D. students

Author, Year

Country

Sample size (% Female)

Field

Depression

Anxiety

Suicidal ideation

Scale (threshold and time frame)

Frequency (prevalence)

Mean (SD)

Scale (threshold and timeframe)

Frequency (prevalence)

Mean (SD)

Scale (timeframe)

Frequency (Prevalence)

Mean (SD)

Bolotnyy, et al. 52

USA

513 (34.70%)

Economics

PHQ-9 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

91 (17.74%)

NA

GAD-7 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

90 (17.60%)

NA

PHQ-9 (past 2 weeks)

SBQR (past year)

58 (11.30%)

61 (12.00%)

NA

Baker and Chambers 44**

USA

6 (100%)

Social Work

CES-D (≥ 16, past week)

3 (50.00%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Barry, et al. 53

Barry, et al. 51a

a Reported a sample size of 82; adjusted scores are presented

Australia

81 (81.48%)

82 (81.71%)

Mixed

DASS-42 (past week)

NA

6.70 (6.00)

6.71 (5.98)

DASS-42 (past week)

NA

5.80 (6.90)

5.82 (6.92)

NA

NA

NA

Boyle and McKinzie 54

USA

632 (NA)

Mixed

DASS-28 (past week)

NA

5.97 (6.86)

DASS-28 (past week)

NA

4.34 (5.65)

NA

NA

NA

Clark, et al. 37**

USA

172 (NA)

School Psychology

BSI (past week)

NA

1.51 (0.60)

BSI (past week)

NA

1.47 (0.68)

NA

NA

NA

Corral-Frias, et al. 49**

Mexico

7 (NA)

Mixed

MASQ-SF (past week)

NA

20.00 (8.79)

MASQ-SF (past week)

NA

20.00 (7.77)

NA

NA

NA

Eisenberg, et al. 38**

Golberstein, et al. 45a

a Smaller overall sample size due to missing data

USA

654 (NA)

Mixed

PHQ-9 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

91 (13.91%)

NA

PHQ GAD (past 4 weeks)

25 (3.82%)

NA

NCS-R (past 4 weeks)

NCS-R (past 4 weeks – plan)

11 (1.67%)

2 (0.30%)

NA

Farrer, et al. 39**

Australia

118 (NA)

Mixed

PHQ-9 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

13 (11.02%)

5.71 (4.46)

GAD-7 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

10 (8.47%)

3.79 (4.23)

NA

NA

NA

Garcia-Williams, et al. 34*

USA

301 (77.08%)

Mixed

PHQ-9 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

101 (33.55%)

7.95 (5.16)

NA

NA

NA

3-item measure (past 2 weeks)

22 (7.31%)

NA

3-item measure (lifetime—attempt)

30 (9.97%)

Heinrich 55

USA

68 (NA)

Education

NA

NA

NA

STAI-trait (present)

NA

33.43 (6.86)

NA

NA

NA

Hindman, et al. 46**

USA

6 (100.00%)

Mixed

DASS-21 (past week)

NA

3.00 (2.76)

DASS-21 (past week)

NA

2.67 (2.42)

NA

NA

NA

Hirai, et al. 47**

USA

46 (NA)

Mixed

DASS-21 (past week)

NA

0.48 (0.59)

DASS-21 (past week)

NA

0.45 (0.45)

NA

NA

NA

Hish, et al. 56

Nagy, et al. 33

USA

69 (60.87%)

Biomedicine

PHQ-9 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

7 (10.14%)

4.64 (4.84)

SCID-5-RV (past year)

22 (31.88%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

Jamshidi, et al. 57

Iran

280 (NA)

Medical Sciences

GHQ-28 (past few weeks)

NA

2.56 (4.07)

GHQ-28 (past few weeks)

NA

4.43 (4.05)

NA

NA

NA

Lee and Jeong 48**

South Korea

1,809 (NA)

Mixed

BDI (past week)

NA

4.52 (5.15)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Levecque, et al. 32

Belgium

3,659 (52.01%)

Mixed

GHQ-12 (≥ 4, past few weeks)

1,165 (31.84%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Lightstone, et al. 36*

USA

116 (77.59%)

Medicine and Psychology

NA

NA

NA

STAI-trait (present)

NA

38.19 (7.87)

NA

NA

NA

Lilly, et al. 41**

USA

42 (NA)

Biomedicine

PHQ-2 (past 2 weeks)

3 (7.14%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Lipson, et al. 40**

Lipson, et al. 43**

Lipson, et al. 42**a

aDue to some overlap in survey years across studies, data pooled (2007–2017)

USA

Total: 13,912 (55.44%)

Mixed

PHQ-9 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

Total: 2377/13,912 (17.09%)

Total: 5.83 (4.89)

2007–2012: PHQ GAD (past 4 weeks)

2013–2017: GAD-7 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

2007–2012: 326/4,111 (7.93%)

2013–2017: 1,633/9,717 (16.81%)

2007–2012: NA

2013–2017: 5.12 (4.72)

Single-item (past year)

Total: 759/13,660 (5.56%)

NA

Liu, et al. 58

China

325 (60.31%)

Medicine

PHQ-9 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

77 (23.70%)

NA

GAD-7 (≥ 10, past 2 weeks)

65 (20.00%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

Meghani and Harvey 50

USA

32 (NA)

Mixed

Boston X 4 CES-D (≥ 10, past week)

7 (21.88%)

6.43 (5.66)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Richardson, et al. 62

USA

119 (85.71%)

Clinical and Counseling Psychology

IDAS-II (past 2 weeks)

NA

46.09 (14.23)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Rummell 16

Canada & USA

119 (77.31%)

Clinical and Counseling Psychology

35-item scale derived from DSM-5 (past 2 weeks)

47 (39.29%)

NA

DSM-5 (past 2 weeks)

58 (49.11%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

Sheldon 35*

USA

35 (42.86%)

Physics and Ecology

NA

NA

NA

BSI (past week)

NA

0.67 (NA)

NA

NA

NA

Sverdlik and Hall 59

54 Countries

3,004 (79.36%)

Mixed

CES-D-10 (past week)

NA

23.31 (4.53)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

The Graduate Assembly 61

USA

529 (NA)

Mixed

CES-D (≥ 16, past week)

249 (47.07%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

University of California Office of the President 60

USA

3,190 (NA)

Mixed

CES-D-R (≥ 16, past 2 weeks)

1,215 (38.09%)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

  1. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression (CES-D), Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression–Revised (CES-D-R), Depression Anxiety and Stress Subscales (DASS), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms–Second Version (IDAS-II), Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire–Short Form (MASQ-SF), National Comorbidity Survey Replication, (NCS-R), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQR), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), standard deviation (SD), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Axis I Disorders Research Version (SCID-5-RV).
  2. *Author provided clarification—entire sample consisted of doctoral degree students.
  3. **Author provided additional data—doctoral students reflect a subsample of the total number reported in the published article.