Satisfaction, research productivity, and socialization in doctoral students: Do teaching assistantship, research assistantship and the advisory relationship play a role?

Funding to doctoral students in the form of research and teaching assistantships help students become independent scholars and complete their programs. Insufficient funding, unforeseen financial obligations, and debt can discourage students from completing their programs in a timely fashion. However, supervisors may play an influential role in supporting doctoral student socialization and growth towards research autonomy. Girves and Wemmerus's (1988) doctoral student degree progress theoretical model claimed that financial assistance and students' perceptions of faculty support are key predictors of doctoral students' progress. They also proposed that students' satisfaction with their department, sense of isolation, and engagement in their programs may explain (or mediate) these associations. The aim of this study was to investigate how supervisor support and financial assistance influence doctoral students' satisfaction with their programs as well as their academic and social engagement. Using data from the Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (n = 18,822 doctoral students), we evaluated a model of doctoral student productivity (i.e., publications and conference presentations) with teaching and research assistantships as key predictors and student satisfaction as mediators. We also examined how supervisor support and financial assistance relate to students' academic and social life. The results showed that teaching assistantships are negatively associated with general satisfaction and program satisfaction but positively associated with social involvement. Moreover, research assistantships were significantly and positively associated with social involvement and progress. Supervisor support was positively associated with doctoral students' general satisfaction, program satisfaction, and social involvement. The findings support Girves and Wemmerus's theory and highlight the importance of faculty support for doctoral student success. (258/300).

Adolescent mental health in military families: Evidence from the Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between physical and mental health symptoms in adolescents and having a parent in the Canadian Armed Forces and the moderation of these associations by various sources of social support. METHODS: We used data on a nationally representative sample of 18,886 adolescents (11-15 years) in the 2017/18 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (HBSC). Survey assessments included multi-item scales of mental and physical health symptoms and sources of social support (peers, families, classmates, and teachers). Poisson regression was used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) of weekly symptoms in military versus non-military youths. Moderation of differences between these groups were tested using interactions of variables representing support and military families. RESULTS: Military youth, compared to non-military youth, reported more mental health symptoms (IRR = 1.20; 95% CI 1.08, 1.33) but only marginally more physical symptoms (IRR = 1.15; 95% CI 1.00, 1.33) in the previous week. These associations were stronger in youths who reported lower levels of peer support (IRR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.98, 1.00 [mental health symptoms]; IRR = 0.98; 95% CI 0.97, 1.00 [physical health symptoms]). Support from families, classmates and teachers did not moderate differences in mental or physical symptoms. CONCLUSION: Canadian adolescents in military families have increased risk for experiencing poor mental health. Peer support may play a protective role, however further research is needed to guide clinical interventions for this unique population.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Étudier l'association entre les symptômes de santé physique et mentale chez les adolescents et le fait d'avoir un parent dans les forces armées canadiennes et la modération de ces associations par diverses sources de soutien social. MéTHODES: Nous avons utilisé les données d'un échantillon national représentatif d'adolescents (n = 18 886; 11 à 15 ans) dans l'étude 2017­2018 sur les comportements de santé des enfants d'âge scolaire (HBSC) au Canada. Les évaluations de l'enquête comprenaient des échelles multi-items de symptômes de santé mentale et physique et des sources de soutien social (pairs, familles, camarades de classe et enseignants). Un modèle de régression de Poisson a servi à estimer les rapports de taux d'incidence (TRI) des symptômes hebdomadaires chez les jeunes militaires par rapport aux jeunes non militaires. La modération des écarts entre ces groupes a été testée en utilisant les interactions entre le soutien militaire et les variables familiales. RéSULTATS: Les jeunes militaires, comparativement aux jeunes non militaires, ont signalé plus de symptômes de santé mentale (TRI = 1,20; IC à 95% 1,08, 1,33), mais seulement légèrement plus de symptômes physiques (TRI = 1,15; IC à 95% 1,00, 1,33) au cours de la semaine précédente. Ces associations étaient plus fortes chez les jeunes qui ont déclaré des niveaux inférieurs de soutien par les pairs (IRR = 0,99; IC à 95% 0,98, 1,00 [symptômes de santé mentale]; IRR = 0,98; IC à 95% 0,97, 1,00 [santé physique symptômes]). Le soutien des familles, des camarades de classe et des enseignants n'a pas atténué les différences de symptômes mentaux ou physiques. CONCLUSION: Les adolescents canadiens de familles militaires sont exposés à un risque accru de maladie mentale. Le soutien par les pairs peut jouer un rôle de protection, mais il faut effectuer d'autres recherches pour orienter les interventions cliniques auprès de cette population unique.