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Career unsustainability among PhD students. The link between depression, impostor phenomenon, supervisor support and career insecurity

Gerardo Petruzziello et al.

Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management2026https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080x.2026.2614789article
AJG 1ABDC B
Weight
0.37

Abstract

There is a pressing concern about the mental health conditions of PhD students and how negative mental health can influence the unfolding of an (un)sustainable career. This study employed the Sustainable Careers Framework and the Conservation of Resources theory to investigate the mechanism of unsustainability among PhD students. We hypothesised that depression might affect career insecurity directly and indirectly via impostor phenomenon, and that this relationship is moderated by supervisor support for professional development. We surveyed 217 PhD students from an Italian university who attended a larger project on academic well-being. The results confirmed the indirect effect, with impostor phenomenon mediating the link between depression and career insecurity. Contrary to our expectations, supervisor support amplified this effect. These findings offer novel insights into career unsustainability in academic environments and suggest interventions to better support PhD students. Implications for future research and policy development are discussed

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080x.2026.2614789

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@article{gerardo2026,
  title        = {{Career unsustainability among PhD students. The link between depression, impostor phenomenon, supervisor support and career insecurity}},
  author       = {Gerardo Petruzziello et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080x.2026.2614789},
}

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.