Being Well in Academia: A Systematic Review on the Conceptualization and Measurement of Well-being and Well-being indicators

Academic faculty face high rates of indicators of low well-being, such as burnout, stress, and even mental illness, making monitoring employee well-being imperative. However, well-being is a complex construct with various conceptualizations and associated measures. This lack of consensus creates difficulties in interpreting well-being findings, with consequences for practice. We have conducted a systematic review by qualitatively analyzing 161 articles from EBSCOhost, Web of Science, PsycNet, ERIC, and Scopus. Our findings provide an overview of how faculty well-being is defined and measured. Well-being is poorly defined in the current research, given that definitions are sometimes implied rather than stated or omitted altogether. Well-being conceptualizations and measures from different categories are often combined to provide a more holistic perspective. Based on these findings, we have developed a series of guiding questions to support researchers in conceptualizing and measuring well-being.