Quiet Coping in Academic Workplaces: A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Disclosure Among University Employees

Quiet Coping in Academic Workplaces: A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Disclosure Among University Employees | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Quiet Coping in Academic Workplaces: A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Disclosure Among University Employees BRIX A. MIROTE This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9191525/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mental health is an increasingly important concern in contemporary workplaces, including higher education institutions. Although universities have expanded mental health awareness initiatives, less is known about how employees themselves interpret emotional strain, decide whether to disclose it, and manage it within academic work environments. This study examines how university employees navigate mental health challenges in relation to disclosure decisions and coping practices at work. Using a qualitative design informed by grounded theory procedures, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 employees from a state university in the Philippines. Through iterative coding and constant comparison, six interrelated patterns were identified: pragmatic mental health awareness, cumulative workplace strain, professional risk appraisal, selective reliance on trusted colleagues, quiet coping practices, and uncertainty about formal institutional support. The findings suggest that awareness of mental well-being does not automatically lead to open disclosure. Instead, employees appear to weigh the possible interpersonal and professional consequences of speaking about distress before deciding whether to remain silent, disclose selectively, or manage strain privately. Building on these findings, the study develops the concept of quiet coping , defined as the private and selectively social management of emotional strain under conditions of uncertain psychological safety. The article also proposes the Quiet Coping Model of Mental Health Disclosure in Academic Workplaces , a contextually grounded analytic model that frames disclosure as a recursive process involving awareness, risk appraisal, relational trust, and coping choice. By connecting mental health literacy, organizational silence, disclosure research, and psychological safety, the study contributes a more integrated account of how university employees balance well-being needs with professional expectations. Psychology Educational Psychology quiet coping mental health disclosure workplace mental health psychological safety organizational silence higher education employees Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics statement: This study involving human participants was conducted with approval from the Institutional Review Board of President Ramon Magsaysay State University. Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection, and the study was conducted in accordance with appropriate ethical procedures for research involving human participants. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9191525","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":610267620,"identity":"8b8c9a95-10e3-4559-8bf3-b798e4882c7a","order_by":0,"name":"BRIX A. 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Although universities have expanded mental health awareness initiatives, less is known about how employees themselves interpret emotional strain, decide whether to disclose it, and manage it within academic work environments. This study examines how university employees navigate mental health challenges in relation to disclosure decisions and coping practices at work. Using a qualitative design informed by grounded theory procedures, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 employees from a state university in the Philippines. Through iterative coding and constant comparison, six interrelated patterns were identified: pragmatic mental health awareness, cumulative workplace strain, professional risk appraisal, selective reliance on trusted colleagues, quiet coping practices, and uncertainty about formal institutional support. The findings suggest that awareness of mental well-being does not automatically lead to open disclosure. 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