2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A significant gap exists in knowing what specific factors play into graduate student mental well-being. It is known that the role of the advisor is significant, but further information on how the advising relationship affects well-being is needed. This study explores literature related to the elements of (a) graduate student mental health factors, (b) current stress-mitigation techniques, and (c) the role of the graduate advisor in graduate student success. There are several interventions aimed toward mitigating graduate student stress, but there are few programs that aim to support advisor mentorship as well as management styles to enhance graduate student experiences as well as their advisors. The literature discussed will have significant implications for developing better methods to help provide students with solutions to their needs, which in turn may help to improve graduate student mental health and aid in faculty advisor mentoring and management responsibilities.

This literature was collected through a variety of database searches for terms related to advising, mental health, well-being, and graduate students. A majority of the literature was published in the last 20 years, with the exception of papers that were fundamental to the understanding of mental health or graduate students in general. To the author's knowledge, no other review has aimed to collect information specific to the impact of the advising relationship on graduate student mental health.