Faculty Mental Health and Socio-Demographics in Saudi Universities
This study examines the relationships between socio-demographic characteristics and three indicators of psychological distress — emotional exhaustion, insomnia disorder, and depressive symptomatology — among university faculty members in Saudi Arabia. Using data from 321 participants across 58 Saudi universities, the research finds statistically significant associations between faculty demographics and mental health outcomes. Female faculty members reported higher rates of emotional exhaustion and insomnia, while single faculty members showed elevated risk across all three measures. Lower-ranked faculty members were more likely to report severe depressive symptoms. The paper reviews relevant literature, presents quantitative findings, and discusses theoretical and professional implications, including the need for targeted institutional interventions and counseling services for at-risk faculty populations.
- Introduction: Study purpose and psychological distress variables defined
- Literature Review: Prior research on faculty mental health and gaps identified
- Results: Quantitative findings by gender, rank, and marital status
- Discussion: Interpretation of risk factors for at-risk faculty groups
- Theoretical and Professional Implications: Implications for institutions, policy, and mental health support
- Limitations and Future Directions: Study constraints and recommended future interventions
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper fills a clear gap in the literature by focusing specifically on Saudi Arabian university faculty — a population largely overlooked in prior mental health research — and situates this gap explicitly within the literature review.
- The results section is well-organized, presenting percentage-based breakdowns by gender, marital status, and academic rank for each of the three outcome variables, making comparisons easy to follow.
- The discussion and implications sections go beyond description, proposing concrete institutional responses (mentorship programs, counseling services, supportive workplace culture) grounded in the study's findings.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective gap identification in a literature review. By surveying existing studies on work-related mental health, Saudi workplace stress, and faculty well-being separately, the authors show that no prior research has combined all three elements — Saudi faculty, socio-demographics, and mental health outcomes — thereby justifying the study's contribution clearly and persuasively.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a standard research article format: an abstract, introduction, and literature review establish context and rationale; a results section presents quantitative findings organized by outcome variable; a discussion interprets the findings; and a conclusion subdivided into theoretical implications, professional implications, and limitations/future directions rounds out the paper. This layered conclusion structure is particularly useful for showing the breadth of a study's significance.
Introduction
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between faculty member socio-demographics and three specific indicators of psychological distress: emotional exhaustion, insomnia disorder, and depressive symptomatology. Although a number of studies have examined the general relationship between work-related stressors and these indicators of distress, few have specifically examined the role of faculty member socio-demographics in this relationship. Given the unique demands of academic life, it is important to understand how these factors may contribute to psychological distress among faculty members. The findings of this study suggest that certain socio-demographic characteristics are associated with greater levels of psychological distress, providing valuable insights into the factors that may put faculty members at risk for mental health problems.
Literature Review
Several studies in recent years have linked work life with mental health issues, such as insomnia, emotional exhaustion, and depression (Debnath et al., 2021; Di Giuseppe et al., 2021; Pappa et al., 2021; Parthasarathy et al., 2021). Many of these studies, however, were conducted with the COVID-19 outbreak in mind and focused on how the pandemic affected mental health among professionals in various work sectors. No studies have as yet looked specifically at the association of mental health issues — insomnia, emotional exhaustion, and depression — with the socio-demographics of faculty members, particularly those in Saudi Arabian universities. Al-Makhaita et al. (2014) looked at work-related stress among nurses in Saudi Arabia, and Salem et al. (2013) examined socio-demographic factors among Saudi Arabian students, but nothing has been done on the matter of faculty socio-demographics and mental health.
Iqbal et al. (2011) examined the relationship between demographic factors and commitment to stay among faculty members in the Kingdom, while Cordesman and Burke (2002) examined the economic, demographic, and societal problems facing the Kingdom in the 21st century, providing an outsider's view. Although these studies help open up certain areas of the issue, they do not address its core. In studies focusing on more Western populations, researchers have identified a growing need for mental health services on college campuses, suggesting that mental health is a serious concern for university stakeholders (Watkins et al., 2012). Urbina-Garcia (2020) has gone so far as to ask what researchers actually know about faculty members' mental health, noting that this is an important and under-explored area of study. Wang et al. (2022) examined related factors with regard to university students, but there has been little to no focus on these factors among faculty, particularly in the Kingdom.
Going back to the 20th century, Burke and Greenglass (1993) examined the relationship between work stress, role conflict, social support, and burnout among teachers and found that burnout occurs when social support is lacking. Salimzadeh et al. (2017) explored various factors affecting academics' psychological well-being and found that stress and negative experiences are the most common contributors to depression and emotional exhaustion among academics. Other researchers have reached similar conclusions without paying special attention to faculty members in the Kingdom or to the relationship between socio-demographics and insomnia, emotional exhaustion, or depression (Darabi et al., 2017; Johnson et al., 2019; Kinman & Johnson, 2019; Kinman & Wray, 2022; Lau & Pretorius, 2019; Lee et al., 2022; Padilla & Thompson, 2016). Overall, the literature indicates that more research is needed to fully understand the causes of mental health issues among faculty members — and, in particular, that this issue must be examined among Saudi Arabian university faculty through the lens of socio-demographics.
Results
This study investigated the association of socio-demographic differences with emotional exhaustion, insomnia disorder, and depressive symptomatology among faculty members. The study found that female faculty members were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and insomnia disorder than their male counterparts. Single faculty members were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and insomnia than married faculty members. Faculty members with higher levels of education were more likely to experience moderate depressive symptomatology, while those with lower academic rankings were more likely to experience severe depressive symptomatology. All findings were statistically significant at p < 0.001.
In terms of emotional exhaustion, 53.5% of females reported high levels compared to 32.8% of males. Conversely, 40.6% of males reported low levels of emotional exhaustion compared to just 18.6% of females. Professors reported the highest levels of emotional exhaustion at 66.7%, followed by assistant professors at 65.4%. Among marital status groups, 58.8% of single faculty members and 75% of divorced faculty members reported high levels of emotional exhaustion, compared to 36% of married faculty members.
In terms of depressive symptomatology, 34% of females reported severe symptoms compared to 17.7% of males. Conversely, 71.9% of males reported no or mild symptoms compared to 42.6% of females. By academic rank, 0% of professors reported severe symptoms, while 35.7% of associate professors did. Among marital status groups, 35.3% of single faculty members reported severe symptoms compared to 23.6% of married faculty members.
Regarding insomnia disorder, no participants reported severe insomnia. However, 34.9% of females reported moderate severity compared to 14.1% of males. Among academic ranks, 34.3% of lecturers and 33.3% of professors reported moderate severity. The rates were approximately similar across marital status categories, with 22.1% of married, 23.5% of single, and 25% of divorced faculty members reporting moderate severity.
These findings suggest that socio-demographic differences are meaningfully associated with emotional exhaustion, insomnia disorder, and depressive symptomatology among faculty members. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these associations.
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