Core Concepts
Computing professionals and students face significant mental health challenges, including high rates of anxiety, depression, and imposter syndrome, which require targeted interventions and support.
Abstract
This systematic literature review examines the current state of research on mental health and well-being in the computing education pipeline. The review identified 28 relevant studies that were analyzed to understand the context, interventions, measurements, and insights related to mental health in computing education.
The key findings include:
- Female computer science students report higher levels of anxiety, depression, and imposter syndrome compared to male students.
- The majority of interventions developed to address mental health in computing education are self-guided, such as mobile applications and online tools.
- There is a lack of generalizability in the existing case studies, and a need for more diverse and representative samples.
- Research on the mental health of gender non-conforming students in computing is severely lacking.
The review highlights the need for more targeted interventions, longitudinal monitoring, and inclusive research designs to better support the mental health and well-being of computing professionals and students. Opportunities for future work include developing evidence-based interventions, exploring new factors influencing mental health, and ensuring the generalizability of research findings across diverse populations.
Stats
"Female students have higher mean number of factors that affected their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic than male CS students."
"Women were significantly more likely to experience multiple mental health challenges than men."
"Female CS students have higher anxiety, depression, and imposter syndrome scores than male students."
Quotes
"Reporting symptoms was generally higher for female students."
"Female students with less social contact presented more depressive symptoms."
"Gender imbalance and under-representation of other minority students in CS are issues the discipline faces."