Mental Health in Academia in Times of Polycrisis: The Gender Gap Against Circumstances

This presentation was delivered as part of the workshop "Gender dimension in research and innovation" (2nd Edition) organized by Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv on April 28–29, 2025.

The presentation discusses the mental health challenges faced by Ukrainian academics during the war and multiple overlapping crises, with a particular focus on gender-specific experiences. It is based on the results of a comprehensive three-year mixed-methods research project, which examined how emotional exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, depression, and career disruption have evolved in academia under extreme conditions.

Key topics include:

• The compounding effects of war-related stressors such as physical displacement, loss of research infrastructure, safety threats, and economic hardship.

• Gender differences in mental health outcomes: women academics facing caregiving burdens and higher emotional fatigue; men facing mobilization pressures and limited mobility.

• Statistical analysis of burnout, anxiety, and depression rates among male and female academic staff.

• The critical role of institutional mental health support programs as protective factors against psychological decline.

• Recommendations for building sustainable, gender-responsive mental health ecosystems within Ukrainian higher education institutions.

The presentation stresses that care and mental health support are not optional luxuries during a polycrisis but fundamental conditions for preserving scientific resilience and the future of Ukrainian education.

Funding
This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine under the following state budget projects:
• №0125U001388 “Support for Mental and Social Health of Faculty in the Academic Environment”
• №0123U100110 “A system of remote and mixed specialized training of future nanoengineers for the development of new dual-purpose nanomaterials”
• №0123U105357 “An integrated approach to the professional training of STEM-oriented teachers: the synergy of science-intensive and digital technologies”
• №0123U105351 “Ukrainian universities in new realities: the impact of the war and mechanisms for preserving the scientific and personnel potential of training specialists in high-tech industries”

The work is also supported by Erasmus+ KA2 project
2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000250043
“Researchers‘ act: training for psychological flexibility and work-related stress management (ReACT)”

Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine — without whom none of this research would be possible.
Grateful to the APPROACH project for the opportunity to share this story and for creating a space where voices from the frontline of science and resilience can be heard.