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Large-scale international scientific collaborations are increasingly common
in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
However, little is known about the well-being of the members participating in
these `big science' collaborations, which can present unique challenges due to
the scale of their work. We conducted a survey among members of three large,
international collaborations in the field of gravitational-wave astrophysics in
the summer of 2021. Our objective was to investigate how career stage, job
insecurity and minority status are associated with reported levels of
depressive symptoms as well as the desire to leave academia. We found that
early-career scientists and certain minoritized groups reported significantly
higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to senior members or those who do
not consider themselves as a member of minoritized groups. Furthermore,
relatively young members, staff scientists/engineers, and those experiencing
high levels of job insecurity and lack of recognition were more likely to
frequently consider leaving academia. Our findings suggest that improving
recognition for personal contributions to collaborative work and providing
clearer job perspectives could be two key factors in enhancing the well-being
of young scientists and reducing the potential outflow from academia.
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