About this Research Topic
Over the last 20 years, changes in higher education have stimulated research on academic working life. Indeed, the application of a market-oriented system and new public management policies in higher education have increased the emphasis on internationalization, accountability and management of academic work. These changes have increased the complexity of the academic work profile, which is characterized by teaching, research and institutional demands, including public engagement to strengthen the interaction between university, industry and society.
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced far-reaching challenges that have further increased the psychosocial work demands.
Universities continue to face continuous and rapid changes that have led to increased levels of work-related stress for both teaching and research academic staff (TRAS) and technical and administrative staff (TAS). This scenario has also had a negative impact on the academic life and well-being of university students.
Existing research on the quality of life of the academic population has often borrowed models, constructs and measures from the wider occupational health literature, without paying real attention to the specificity and the multi-faceted complexity arising from the evolution of the academic context. This is because the current methods of assessing the quality of life in academia do not take into account the complexities of the modern university system, nor do they adequately consider the factors that influence well-being, such as workloads, job security, and access to resources. Additionally, existing policies and interventions are often based on outdated models.
In this context, the development of a dedicated research approach that takes into account the specificities of the academic organizational context and work, as well as the specificities of the population involved, would be crucial to promote a scenario of "healthy universities".
New methodological and theoretical contributions are needed to assess the quality of life in academia, to compare different institutional systems, and to develop appropriate policies and interventions to promote the wellbeing of university population.
In order to support the university in fulfilling its crucial missions of education, research and public engagement, it is essential to consider the promotion of academic quality of life. The research topic aims to contribute in this direction by inviting colleagues to submit original research, methods or review articles on all academic populations (i.e. teaching and research academic staff-TRAS, technical and administrative staff-TAS and students) focusing on the following themes:
• Innovative research methodology
• Development or refinement of theoretical frameworks to explain the processes underlying psychological health outcomes (positive and negative)
• New instruments for measuring academic quality of life or psychometric evaluation and adaptation of existing instruments
• Mixed-methods designs
• Emerging (recurrent and new) psychosocial risks and protective factors for wellbeing
• Diversity and inclusion management
• Clustering of working and student population
• Cross-cultural comparative studies- Interventions to promote academic wellbeing
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced far-reaching challenges that have further increased the psychosocial work demands.
Universities continue to face continuous and rapid changes that have led to increased levels of work-related stress for both teaching and research academic staff (TRAS) and technical and administrative staff (TAS). This scenario has also had a negative impact on the academic life and well-being of university students.
Existing research on the quality of life of the academic population has often borrowed models, constructs and measures from the wider occupational health literature, without paying real attention to the specificity and the multi-faceted complexity arising from the evolution of the academic context. This is because the current methods of assessing the quality of life in academia do not take into account the complexities of the modern university system, nor do they adequately consider the factors that influence well-being, such as workloads, job security, and access to resources. Additionally, existing policies and interventions are often based on outdated models.
In this context, the development of a dedicated research approach that takes into account the specificities of the academic organizational context and work, as well as the specificities of the population involved, would be crucial to promote a scenario of "healthy universities".
New methodological and theoretical contributions are needed to assess the quality of life in academia, to compare different institutional systems, and to develop appropriate policies and interventions to promote the wellbeing of university population.
In order to support the university in fulfilling its crucial missions of education, research and public engagement, it is essential to consider the promotion of academic quality of life. The research topic aims to contribute in this direction by inviting colleagues to submit original research, methods or review articles on all academic populations (i.e. teaching and research academic staff-TRAS, technical and administrative staff-TAS and students) focusing on the following themes:
• Innovative research methodology
• Development or refinement of theoretical frameworks to explain the processes underlying psychological health outcomes (positive and negative)
• New instruments for measuring academic quality of life or psychometric evaluation and adaptation of existing instruments
• Mixed-methods designs
• Emerging (recurrent and new) psychosocial risks and protective factors for wellbeing
• Diversity and inclusion management
• Clustering of working and student population
• Cross-cultural comparative studies- Interventions to promote academic wellbeing
Keywords: academia, work related stress, academic stress, health outcomes measurement and modelling, wellbeing, interventions
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
