How Work Affects the Mental Health of Postdocs?—An Analysis Based on <i>Nature</i>’s 2020 Global Postdoc Survey Data

Background: The postdoctoral workforce has been expanding worldwide, playing a vital role in scientific progress, innovation, and knowledge dissemination. Nevertheless, their mental health is also increasingly a global concern, exacerbated by challenges such as intense competition, growing responsibilities, and pressure to publish. Purpose: Research on work characteristics is essential for guiding policy and interventions, offering valuable insights into the factors that affect postdoctoral researchers’ mental health. Hence, this study aims to examine the impact of work characteristics on postdocs’ mental health and explore the underlying mechanisms drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. Methods: Using data from Nature’s 2020 Global Postdoc Survey, this study examines how work-related factors influence mental health through regression analysis and percentile bootstrap methods, and eight hypotheses are proposed. Results: Working hours, overtime frequency, and job insecurity negatively predicted postdocs’ work-life balance satisfaction and directly increased the likelihood of mental health problems. Mentor support, job autonomy, and rewards enhanced work-life balance satisfaction and directly decreased the possibility of mental health problems. All six job characteristics indirectly influenced postdocs’ mental health through work-life balance satisfaction. Working hours had a stronger negative impact on work-life balance satisfaction for female postdocs, while job insecurity had a stronger negative impact on male postdocs’ work-life balance satisfaction. However, no significant gender differences were found in the impact of overtime frequency on work-life balance satisfaction. Conclusion: Job demands (working hours, overtime frequency, and job insecurity) significantly increased postdocs’ mental health problems whereas job resources (mentor support, job autonomy, and rewards) mitigated these problems. All these impacts were mediated through work-life balance satisfaction. Gender differences were evident regarding the relationship between job demands (working hours and job insecurity) and work-life balance satisfaction. These findings provide a basis for future research on the broader causal relationships between work characteristics and postdocs’ mental health, as well as studies examining variations across countries, cultures, and disciplines. This study also offers actionable recommendations for institutions, funding agencies, and mentors to foster better working conditions to improve postdocs’ well-being.