Exploring resilience in doctoral students: A mixed methods evaluation of the wellbeing shelf

Doctoral students frequently encounter high levels of stress, isolation, and psychological distress, often leading to programme withdrawal. Resilience has been identified as a protective factor that can enhance student wellbeing. Despite growing concern for the mental health of doctoral students, interventions tailored to their specific needs remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a co-designed digital resource, The Wellbeing Shelf, on the resilience and wellbeing of doctoral nursing and midwifery students and to explore their experiences of engaging with the resource.

An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed. Quantitatively, 24 doctoral students completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 25) and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) at baseline; 19 at 6-weeks, and 15 at 12-weeks. Repeated measures ANOVA was employed to assess changes over time. Qualitatively, two focus groups were conducted to explore user experiences, with data analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Resilience (CD-RISC 25) and wellbeing (SWEMWBS) scores increased over the 12-week period, though only improvements in wellbeing reached statistical significance (p < .05). Three key themes emerged: (1) Identification as a Doctoral Student, highlighting stress, time pressures, and the importance of peer connection; (2) Acquisition of Knowledge vs Accessibility, indicating a disconnect between wellbeing awareness and engagement with digital resources; and (3) Areas for Future Development, calling for greater accessibility and awareness of services, and partnership between students and academics in future work in the area. Students valued that the resource was co-designed and identified opportunities to enhance accessibility, especially for international students.

The Wellbeing Shelf showed promise as a proactive tool to support doctoral students' wellbeing. Its co-designed, accessible format was positively received, though awareness and engagement remain key challenges. Future development should incorporate doctoral student input and address the diverse, intersectional needs of this population to optimise impact and uptake.