ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
From surviving to thriving: a process-ecological model of psychological resilience in doctoral students.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Doctoral students worldwide face considerable mental health challenges. Predominant research, often grounded in a pathological paradigm, has treated psychological resilience as a static trait, thereby overlooking its dynamic construction and ecological embeddedness within person-environment interactions. Aim: This study explores how doctoral students in high-pressure academic settings build psychological resilience through ongoing interaction with their ecosystems to transition from a state of survival to one of thriving. Methods: Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 doctoral students from Chinese universities. Data were analyzed through a process of constant comparative method and iterative coding. Results: The analysis yielded a process-ecological model of psychological resilience. This model identifies a four-stage, nonlinear developmental pathway: stress perception, cognitive restructuring, strategy integration, and value transcendence. This progression is powered by a dual-engine mechanism in which meaning-making provides direction and agency activation supplies motivation, all nested within and shaped by the dynamic interplay of individual, relational, and institutional ecosystems. Conclusion: The process-ecological model frames psychological resilience as a dynamic practice that co-evolves with academic identity formation. We advocate for a fundamental paradigm shift in the doctoral student support system-from individual-level remedial interventions toward the systematic cultivation of an enabling, ecological resilience system.
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