-
Categories
-
Pharmaceutical Intermediates
-
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
-
Food Additives
- Industrial Coatings
- Agrochemicals
- Dyes and Pigments
- Surfactant
- Flavors and Fragrances
- Chemical Reagents
- Catalyst and Auxiliary
- Natural Products
- Inorganic Chemistry
-
Organic Chemistry
-
Biochemical Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
-
Cosmetic Ingredient
- Water Treatment Chemical
-
Pharmaceutical Intermediates
Promotion
ECHEMI Mall
Wholesale
Weekly Price
Exhibition
News
-
Trade Service
The Life Science Laboratory is the core workplace of scientists and can play a key role in supporting mental safety, mental health and well-being
.
Here, the Meghan A.
Duffy team at the University of Michigan in the United States provided a series of feasible action strategies that can help establish an inclusive structure in the laboratory and support the mental health of all members
.
Recently, the article was published on the Cell Press journal Neuron with the title "Supporting mental health and productivity within labs"
.
▲Long press the picture to identify the QR code to read the original text.
Recently, mental health problems in the laboratory have begun to receive extensive attention for a long time
.
Some data show that among scientists and laboratory trainees, the incidence of distress (distress) is high, and its prevalence is still rising, which has aroused people's attention
.
Currently, most research focuses on the postgraduate group
.
According to a recent systematic review, 24% of doctoral students have clinically significant symptoms of depression, and 17% of doctoral students have clinically significant symptoms of anxiety.
The incidence is higher than that of the general population.
The ratio is similar (Satinsky et al.
, 2021)
.
Recently, some scholars have investigated the mental state of graduate students during COVID-19 and found that the incidence of depression and anxiety is even higher (Ogilvie et al.
, 2020)
.
There is no comparable estimate of a representative sample of postdoctoral researchers, research scientists, technicians, and teachers, but the work of collecting data on higher education faculty and staff across the country has begun (Mary Christie Foundation, 2021)
.
COVID-19 has brought new sources of stress and increased the challenges of solving these long-standing problems
.
But at the same time, the epidemic also provides an opportunity: Although such a huge change has occurred in the past year and a half, the laboratory is about to reopen and be reconfigured
.
What can we do to promote strong mental health and well-being in these environments? In this article, we propose four methods, based on existing evidence and our own work, including studying student mental health and guiding Healthy Minds Study (DE), leading the mental health work of graduate students at the University of Michigan Team (Task Force on Graduate Student Mental Health at the University of Michigan) (MAD), and manage our own research teams (MAD, NCT and DE) and laboratories (MAD and NCT)
.
It is worth noting that we need to admit that there are obvious research gaps in the existing evidence regarding mental health in the academic environment, and more research is urgently needed to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of different structures, programs, and interventions
.
Our recommendations focus on actions that individual laboratory members can take, including students, teachers, and staff
.
Although the structure of an organization can have a strong impact on mental health and well-being (Satinsky et al.
, 2021), these issues are beyond the scope of this article
.
The lack of structure in the structure that supports mental health and well-being in the laboratory creates uncertainty
.
For many people, uncertainty can cause anxiety and reduce happiness (Carleton, 2012)
.
If an important structure can be established in the laboratory, it will help promote the mental health and well-being of laboratory members, allowing them to find a sense of belonging in the laboratory-as long as it is a supportive and inclusive structure
.
The laboratory should establish an overall high-level structure to support all laboratory members through clear expectations, guidelines and project plans; encourage and respect the sense of boundary; strengthen the guidance relationship and promote a safe and collaborative laboratory culture to promote experiments Positive interpersonal communication indoors (Figure 1)
.
Figure 1.
Structure to support mental health and laboratory productivity.
1.
Develop laboratory specifications and project plans.
Laboratories should develop general regulations to help students understand the expectations of work and results (for example, what is the vacation system, laboratory members When must I be in the laboratory or office, under what circumstances can I work remotely, and what kind of work progress is sufficient) and form good communication (for example, specify the time limit for replying to emails, the timetable for applying for recommendation letters, and the revision of the manuscript Turnaround time, etc.
)
.
When formulating laboratory guidelines, policies, and regulations, laboratories should follow the principle of inclusive design to make people aware that the capabilities and needs of different members are different
.
Laboratory regulations are not universal, so their diversity should be considered
.
Policy makers should also be aware that some laboratory members may have chronic health problems, including mental health problems
.
2.
Encourage and respect boundaries.
There is strong evidence that proper physical activity, good sleep, and good social relationships can greatly improve mental health and enhance happiness
.
This means that in order to show our best self in our work, we need some time to leave work, whether it is exercising, sleeping, spending time with friends, or doing what we like
.
However, laboratory science has a strong workist culture (often encouraging "workaholics"), and a person's identity and life goals are closely related to his research and work
.
This kind of workism-coupled with our increasing work requirements, fierce competition, and the ability to work at any time and anywhere, will make it difficult for us to withdraw ourselves from work
.
For these reasons, laboratories must be clear about their culture, and laboratory members need to realize that not only can they have interests other than doing experiments, but they are encouraged to do so
.
In addition to the boundaries regarding working hours and expectations, there should also be boundaries in supporting laboratory members
.
Lab members can help each other by expressing concern and connecting with each other's resources
.
However, laboratory members should not become informal counselors to each other
.
3.
Establish a strong tutoring relationship Mentoring relationships between tutors and graduate students (Mentoring relationships) are crucial in laboratory science
.
Mentoring can support the mental health of the mentor and the student-"mentoring" can provide a sense of purpose for the mentor, and the mentor will get mentoring in it to help them grow as a scientist
.
However, this is not always the case
.
The circumstances in which tutors provide tutoring vary from person to person, just like a continuous spectrum—some tutoring relationships are full of trust and support, some lack enthusiasm but full of neglect, and some can cause abuse and harm
.
How should we encourage empowering and supportive coaching relationships? The establishment and maintenance of a coaching relationship requires effort, and clear, consistent, and compassionate dialogue is a vital part of it
.
Therefore, helping laboratory members develop interpersonal skills and establish good communication will promote strong coaching relationships and thus support mental health
.
4.
Promote a safe laboratory environment and collaborative laboratory culture.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory points out that safety is second only to the physiological needs of food and shelter (Maslow, 1943), and a sense of security is associated with lower stress, depression and Anxiety level is related (Gilbert et al.
, 2008)
.
"Safety" includes many aspects; physical safety is particularly prominent in the laboratory environment; psychological safety; safety from racism, gender discrimination, ability discrimination, and other forms of harassment and discrimination; safety to make mistakes and learn from them.
; raised questions and concerns of security and so on
.
The establishment of a collaborative and supportive laboratory culture can support all the above-mentioned types of safety, thereby promoting mental health, enhancing their well-being, and allowing laboratory members to realize their full potential
.
A collaborative laboratory culture needs to establish connections between various laboratory members and ensure that there is no excessive competition in the laboratory
.
Finding opportunities for different laboratory members to collaborate on related projects is also a possible way to help build friendships and promote scientific research
.
Equally important, laboratory members need to listen to the suggestions and concerns of others and try to solve problems through cooperation as much as possible
.
The laboratory should encourage "job crafting", which means that a person can adjust the position he is responsible for in order to maximize his strengths and express his enthusiasm
.
Job crafting can enhance people's resilience, enthusiasm and performance, and improve social communication and interpersonal relationships at work (Berg et al.
, 2007; VanderWeele, 2020)
.
Job crafting also allows laboratory members to work more effectively and efficiently, enabling them to discover greater meaning and purpose in life at work (VanderWeele, 2020; Wrzesniewski and Dutton, 2001)
.
Conclusion We encourage laboratories, departments and research institutions to provide better support for the mental health and well-being of all members
.
Both individuals, laboratories, departments, and institutions should attach importance to mental health and well-being, because this is the right thing
.
Paying attention to mental health may also enhance academic productivity; to succeed in science does not need to sacrifice personal mental health.
On the contrary, strong mental health can support the development of science
.
Related paper information The original text of the paper was published in Neuron, a journal of CellPress Cell Press,
.
Here, the Meghan A.
Duffy team at the University of Michigan in the United States provided a series of feasible action strategies that can help establish an inclusive structure in the laboratory and support the mental health of all members
.
Recently, the article was published on the Cell Press journal Neuron with the title "Supporting mental health and productivity within labs"
.
▲Long press the picture to identify the QR code to read the original text.
Recently, mental health problems in the laboratory have begun to receive extensive attention for a long time
.
Some data show that among scientists and laboratory trainees, the incidence of distress (distress) is high, and its prevalence is still rising, which has aroused people's attention
.
Currently, most research focuses on the postgraduate group
.
According to a recent systematic review, 24% of doctoral students have clinically significant symptoms of depression, and 17% of doctoral students have clinically significant symptoms of anxiety.
The incidence is higher than that of the general population.
The ratio is similar (Satinsky et al.
, 2021)
.
Recently, some scholars have investigated the mental state of graduate students during COVID-19 and found that the incidence of depression and anxiety is even higher (Ogilvie et al.
, 2020)
.
There is no comparable estimate of a representative sample of postdoctoral researchers, research scientists, technicians, and teachers, but the work of collecting data on higher education faculty and staff across the country has begun (Mary Christie Foundation, 2021)
.
COVID-19 has brought new sources of stress and increased the challenges of solving these long-standing problems
.
But at the same time, the epidemic also provides an opportunity: Although such a huge change has occurred in the past year and a half, the laboratory is about to reopen and be reconfigured
.
What can we do to promote strong mental health and well-being in these environments? In this article, we propose four methods, based on existing evidence and our own work, including studying student mental health and guiding Healthy Minds Study (DE), leading the mental health work of graduate students at the University of Michigan Team (Task Force on Graduate Student Mental Health at the University of Michigan) (MAD), and manage our own research teams (MAD, NCT and DE) and laboratories (MAD and NCT)
.
It is worth noting that we need to admit that there are obvious research gaps in the existing evidence regarding mental health in the academic environment, and more research is urgently needed to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of different structures, programs, and interventions
.
Our recommendations focus on actions that individual laboratory members can take, including students, teachers, and staff
.
Although the structure of an organization can have a strong impact on mental health and well-being (Satinsky et al.
, 2021), these issues are beyond the scope of this article
.
The lack of structure in the structure that supports mental health and well-being in the laboratory creates uncertainty
.
For many people, uncertainty can cause anxiety and reduce happiness (Carleton, 2012)
.
If an important structure can be established in the laboratory, it will help promote the mental health and well-being of laboratory members, allowing them to find a sense of belonging in the laboratory-as long as it is a supportive and inclusive structure
.
The laboratory should establish an overall high-level structure to support all laboratory members through clear expectations, guidelines and project plans; encourage and respect the sense of boundary; strengthen the guidance relationship and promote a safe and collaborative laboratory culture to promote experiments Positive interpersonal communication indoors (Figure 1)
.
Figure 1.
Structure to support mental health and laboratory productivity.
1.
Develop laboratory specifications and project plans.
Laboratories should develop general regulations to help students understand the expectations of work and results (for example, what is the vacation system, laboratory members When must I be in the laboratory or office, under what circumstances can I work remotely, and what kind of work progress is sufficient) and form good communication (for example, specify the time limit for replying to emails, the timetable for applying for recommendation letters, and the revision of the manuscript Turnaround time, etc.
)
.
When formulating laboratory guidelines, policies, and regulations, laboratories should follow the principle of inclusive design to make people aware that the capabilities and needs of different members are different
.
Laboratory regulations are not universal, so their diversity should be considered
.
Policy makers should also be aware that some laboratory members may have chronic health problems, including mental health problems
.
2.
Encourage and respect boundaries.
There is strong evidence that proper physical activity, good sleep, and good social relationships can greatly improve mental health and enhance happiness
.
This means that in order to show our best self in our work, we need some time to leave work, whether it is exercising, sleeping, spending time with friends, or doing what we like
.
However, laboratory science has a strong workist culture (often encouraging "workaholics"), and a person's identity and life goals are closely related to his research and work
.
This kind of workism-coupled with our increasing work requirements, fierce competition, and the ability to work at any time and anywhere, will make it difficult for us to withdraw ourselves from work
.
For these reasons, laboratories must be clear about their culture, and laboratory members need to realize that not only can they have interests other than doing experiments, but they are encouraged to do so
.
In addition to the boundaries regarding working hours and expectations, there should also be boundaries in supporting laboratory members
.
Lab members can help each other by expressing concern and connecting with each other's resources
.
However, laboratory members should not become informal counselors to each other
.
3.
Establish a strong tutoring relationship Mentoring relationships between tutors and graduate students (Mentoring relationships) are crucial in laboratory science
.
Mentoring can support the mental health of the mentor and the student-"mentoring" can provide a sense of purpose for the mentor, and the mentor will get mentoring in it to help them grow as a scientist
.
However, this is not always the case
.
The circumstances in which tutors provide tutoring vary from person to person, just like a continuous spectrum—some tutoring relationships are full of trust and support, some lack enthusiasm but full of neglect, and some can cause abuse and harm
.
How should we encourage empowering and supportive coaching relationships? The establishment and maintenance of a coaching relationship requires effort, and clear, consistent, and compassionate dialogue is a vital part of it
.
Therefore, helping laboratory members develop interpersonal skills and establish good communication will promote strong coaching relationships and thus support mental health
.
4.
Promote a safe laboratory environment and collaborative laboratory culture.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory points out that safety is second only to the physiological needs of food and shelter (Maslow, 1943), and a sense of security is associated with lower stress, depression and Anxiety level is related (Gilbert et al.
, 2008)
.
"Safety" includes many aspects; physical safety is particularly prominent in the laboratory environment; psychological safety; safety from racism, gender discrimination, ability discrimination, and other forms of harassment and discrimination; safety to make mistakes and learn from them.
; raised questions and concerns of security and so on
.
The establishment of a collaborative and supportive laboratory culture can support all the above-mentioned types of safety, thereby promoting mental health, enhancing their well-being, and allowing laboratory members to realize their full potential
.
A collaborative laboratory culture needs to establish connections between various laboratory members and ensure that there is no excessive competition in the laboratory
.
Finding opportunities for different laboratory members to collaborate on related projects is also a possible way to help build friendships and promote scientific research
.
Equally important, laboratory members need to listen to the suggestions and concerns of others and try to solve problems through cooperation as much as possible
.
The laboratory should encourage "job crafting", which means that a person can adjust the position he is responsible for in order to maximize his strengths and express his enthusiasm
.
Job crafting can enhance people's resilience, enthusiasm and performance, and improve social communication and interpersonal relationships at work (Berg et al.
, 2007; VanderWeele, 2020)
.
Job crafting also allows laboratory members to work more effectively and efficiently, enabling them to discover greater meaning and purpose in life at work (VanderWeele, 2020; Wrzesniewski and Dutton, 2001)
.
Conclusion We encourage laboratories, departments and research institutions to provide better support for the mental health and well-being of all members
.
Both individuals, laboratories, departments, and institutions should attach importance to mental health and well-being, because this is the right thing
.
Paying attention to mental health may also enhance academic productivity; to succeed in science does not need to sacrifice personal mental health.
On the contrary, strong mental health can support the development of science
.
Related paper information The original text of the paper was published in Neuron, a journal of CellPress Cell Press,
