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Open research questions in Psychological Treatments and Assessments

32 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 864 Psychological Treatments and Assessments papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • To avoid such problems, universities have to come up with specific and systematic solutions aimed at enhancing supervisory relations and support services. The capacitybuilding initiatives, such as training of supervisors on areas such as mentoring, communication, and student-centred supervision, can enhance the skills. Peer support structures, including mentorship programs, support groups of students, and professional counselling services, are also crucial and can support them further. The policy frameworks, which focus on accountability, supervision guidelines, and reporting schemes, are also critical in ensuring the establishment of safe and conducive learning environments. All of these measures can help minimize the possible negative effects of low supervisorstudent relationships and help students have a more positive and productive learning experience. REFERENCES Cota, J., Cunha, E., Bexiga, R., & Oliveira, M. (2024). Supervision of students in a Portuguese veterinary medicine school— students’ and supervisors’ expectations, perceptions, and supervision impact. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1502981 Eleje, G. U., Ikwuka, D. C., Nwosu, K. C., Eleje, L. I., Ikwuka, O. I., Sani, N.,... & Nwobodo, E. O. (2025). Effects of intra-class peer mentorship intervention programme on the academic performances of academically underperforming medical students in Nigeria. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06728-4 Eyebiyi, E. (2024). Postgraduate study and the relationship supervisor-student in West Africa: Dealing with suffering and achievement in Benin. Revista de Științe ale Educației, 49(1), 72-88. https://doi.org/10.35923/jes.2024.1.04 Feng, L., & Zhang, L. (2022). Perceived teacher support, peer relationship, and university students’ mental health: The mediation of reality and Internet altruistic behaviors. 13.

    Mentors or Stressors? Supervisor-Student Relationships and Mental Health in African Universities · 2026 · DOI

  • The role of universities in enhancing the mental health of students studying research higher degrees is increasingly being realised. They (students) demand more systematic and integrated institutional support measures to be proactive and not reactive (Ryan et al., 2021). This includes less unclear expectations, improved communication systems, and mentoring programmes. At the workplace, particularly in such fields as veterinary medicine, it was observed that there are expectations gaps between students and their supervisors about the quality and effectiveness of supervision that can impact their academic performance and well-being (Cota et al., 2024). To deal with these, the institutions ought to possess support structures, which ought to be inclusive in nature in that they aim at supporting entry and success and not merely entry only (Namakula & Ndaba, 2024). 3. METHODOLOGY 3.1. Design and methodology review To gain clarity, consistency and methodological rigour, the present study employed a systematic review design through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework. The aim of the review was to combine empirical research in the impact of supervisorstudent relationships on student mental health outcomes in higher education with emphasis on Africa and international comparative research, in this respect. 3.2. Search strategy A systematic literature search (SLS) was performed to identify studies that have analyzed the relationship between supervisor– student relationships and mental health outcomes for students in Africa in higher education institutions (HEIs). Recently published information to capture the new evidence was searched from four electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (from January 2010 to December 2025), and peer-reviewed articles were included. The search was further supplemented by reviewing the reference lists of the eligible articles for further relevant articles. Grey literature was accepted if it was directly relevant to the objectives of the review and fulfilled predefined inclusion criteria. A controlled vocabulary (where available) and free-text terms were used in combination with Boolean operators (AND, OR) in the search strategy. The comprehensive search strategy for PubMed was: i. ('supervisor-student relationship' OR 'student-supervisor relationship' OR supervision OR mentoring OR mentorship) ii. AND (mental health OR wellbeing OR 'well-being' OR stress OR anxiety OR depression OR psychological distress) iii. Higher education, university*, college*, "postgraduate students", "graduate students", "doctoral students", PhD, "master's students") iv.

    Mentors or Stressors? Supervisor-Student Relationships and Mental Health in African Universities · 2026 · DOI

  • Increasingly, the role of universities in supporting the mental health of research higher degree students is being recognised. Students call for more proactive, structured, and integrated institutional support mechanisms, rather than just reactive programs (Ryan et al., 2021). This includes more explicit expectations, structures, and mentoring arrangements. In professional fields such as veterinary medicine, research shows gaps in expectations between students and supervisors about the quality and effectiveness of supervision, which can impact on both their academic performance and well-being (Cota et al., 2024). To address these, institutions need to have inclusive support structures that aim to support entry and success and not just focus on entry (Namakula & Ndaba, 2024). improved communication 2.6. Supervisory relationship as an important mental health factor The importance of supervisory relationships in the mental health and success of postgraduate students is recognized. According to qualitative research, the postgrad experience is described as a mental labyrinth where supervisory relationships are important in determining the success of mental health and research outcomes (White et al., 2023). The differences in supervisory relationships are observed to determine depression amongst doctoral students, thus the emotionally-relevant nature of supervisory relationships (Guo, 2025). Besides that, insufficient supervisor support (e.g., inefficient communication, mentorship, or disinterest) has also been closely related to the occurrence of mental health issues in doctoral students (Mackie & Bates, 2018). Protective psychological conditions, on the other hand, arise through supportive supervisory relationships.

    Mentors or Stressors? Supervisor-Student Relationships and Mental Health in African Universities · 2026 · DOI

  • In conclusion, CBT-based interventions appear to be effective in facilitating awareness of worthlessness beliefs and in developing coping skills for relational stressors; future studies are recommended to support this process with psychometric measures.

    Bilişsel Davranışçı Terapi Sürecinde Değersizlik Çekirdek İnancı ve İlişkisel Stresörlerin İncelenmesi: Bir Vaka Sunumu · 2026 · DOI

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), as the dominant approach in modern guidance and counselling practice, needs to be studied in depth through the perspectives of ontology, epistemology, and axiology so that it is not understood merely as an intervention technique.

    Exploring The Essence of CBT: an Ontological, Epistemological, and Axiological Analysis, and The Contributions of The Thoughts of Aaron T. Beck and Albert Ellis to Guidance and Counseling · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite the international prominence of emotionally focused couple therapy (EFCT), limited research exists on its acceptability among mental health workers, particularly those from contexts in Africa.

    Acceptability of Emotionally Focused Therapy in Uganda: The Views of Mental Health Workers · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite emerging supportive evidence for EFGT, study results showed quality indicator categories were insufficient to guarantee research quality and key EFT task usage.

    A Systematic Review of Emotion Focused Group Therapy Using Quality Indicators · 2024 · DOI

  • The inclusion of emotional awareness factors in EAP supervisory utilization has not been thoroughly investigated, although frequently found in the literature as a training and development objective for managers in business and education.

    Self-Disclosure as a Predictor of EAP Supervisory Utilization · 1998 · DOI

  • However, empirical studies on teacher stress in Mongolia remain scarce, particularly regarding the development of psychometrically sound measurement tools.

    Transcultural Validation of the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) in Mongolia: An Exploratory Study of Stress Among School Teachers · 2026 · DOI

  • It has been suggested that for the ethical reason that treatment staff should not harm clients, workplaces should assess staff members’ empathic skills and ability to refrain from harmful behaviours, and these capabilities should be investigated when recruiting new staff.

    Using and Measuring Motivational Interviewing in a New Setting: Experiences From a Project Highlighting Relationship-Building Skills in the Process of Recruiting New Staff · 2024 · DOI

  • Research in decision‐making has largely pointed out the benefits of positive emotions; however, very few studies have compared emotion‐induction methods (EIMs) for their efficacy, which makes it difficult to choose a relatively better method among them for a particular purpose.

    An Experimental Comparison of Two Emotion‐Induction Methods and the Role of Emotion in Applying Decision Rules · 2023 · DOI

  • Although there is no recent published research on coverage of maladaptive anger in psychology courses, it is reasonable to assume that coverage is lacking, especially compared to coverage of other emotion-rooted disorders like sadness and anxiety.

    Including Maladaptive Anger in Psychology Courses · 2019 · DOI

  • It is a widely used measure of emotion regulation, but its factor structure has rarely been examined outside of university student samples, and some authors have recently questioned its factorial validity in general community samples.

    The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties in General Community Samples · 2019 · DOI

  • One explanation for the inconsistent results is that variations in the social context of the crying situation determine whether or not crying-related catharsis occurs.

    When is Crying Cathartic? An International Study · 2008 · DOI

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32 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 864 Psychological Treatments and Assessments papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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