A Review of Mental Health Issues Prevalent in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Subjects

Abstract

The stigma surrounding mental health in IT education and industry impacts productivity, health, and career prospects. Little research focuses on mental health factors and efforts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This chapter collates important factors affecting mental health in STEM, identifies existing efforts, and highlights research gaps. Contributions of this chapter are two-fold: (a) a working taxonomy of the most commonly reported factors affecting mental health in STEM along with the systematic efforts done to improve these factors, and (b) research gaps in systematic efforts which improve the factors identified in the taxonomy, paving the way for future research to fill these gaps. This chapter contributes to a better understanding of mental health in STEM for educational and workplace settings.