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Does a Good Advisor a Day Keep the Doctor Away? How Advisor-Advisee Relationships are Associated with Psychological and Physical Well-Being among Graduate Students

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Abstract

It is well established that graduate students face large amounts of stress during their education. Despite this, little research has focused on factors that can help this high stress population maintain well-being in the face of numerous challenges. One potentially important but neglected probable wellness determinant is the advisor-student relationship. This study explored to what extent advisor and department characteristics related to advisor selection are associated with student well-being and examined whether a positive advisor-advisee relationship can reduce the negative effects of stress on student well-being. Four hundred and forty-six graduate students from Ph.D. programs across the United States completed an online survey asking advising-related questions as well as assessments of stress, physical health, psychological well-being, and demographics. Results indicated that higher faculty advisor satisfaction was associated with reports of higher positive affect, lower negative affect, and better sleep efficiency, but slightly worse health compared to a year prior to survey. Additionally, high quality advisor-student relationships and greater control over switching advisors were associated with less affective disruption under high stress indicating possible stress buffering effects. Together, these results indicate that advisor-advisee relationships in graduate training may be an important future area of intervention and focus for campus well-being.

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Notes

  1. Covariates were picked based on preliminary analyses showing associations between variables and outcomes of interest. Greater age was associated with fewer mental health visits OR = 0.950, p = 0.008 and less sleep, b = 0.003, p = 0.017. Females were more likely to report better health, OR = 1.740, p = 0.007 and were more likely to visit a health care provider (physical health OR = 2.36, p < 0.001, mental health OR = 1.75, p = 0.02). Females also reported higher NA, b = 0.143, t(394) = 2.055, p = 0.041. Students in later years reported better health, OR = 1.276, p < 0.001, but also lower PA, b = −0.066, p = 0.010. Black students reported less sleep duration than whites, b = 0.083, t(385) = 2.151, p = 0.032 and multiracial students reported sleeping less efficiently than whites, b = 0.204,t(383) = 2.187, p = 0.0293. Asian students were less likely to have visited a healthcare provider for mental health, OR = 0.485, p = 0.044. Identifying as being the first in one’s family to attend college was not associated with any outcome of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA

    Monica Becerra

  2. Psychology Department, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Emily Wong

  3. Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA

    Brooke N. Jenkins

  4. Department of Psychological Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Sarah D. Pressman

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  1. Monica Becerra
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Becerra, M., Wong, E., Jenkins, B.N. et al. Does a Good Advisor a Day Keep the Doctor Away? How Advisor-Advisee Relationships are Associated with Psychological and Physical Well-Being among Graduate Students. Int. Journal of Com. WB 4, 505–524 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-020-00087-2

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