ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Personality and Social Psychology
Social Comparison and Mental Health Among Academics in Qatar: A Cross-Sectional Study
Provisionally accepted
- Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
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Background: Social comparison is emerging as a prominent manifestation in today's communities and can influence individuals' well-being. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess social comparison among academic faculty in Qatar and explore associations with mental health indicators. Methods: The study used an online, anonymous cross-sectional survey conducted among academics in Qatar. Social comparison was assessed using the Iowa–Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM), while the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 items (DASS-21) and Maslach Burnout inventory – Educators Survey (MBI-ES) were used to measure self-perceived depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout. Linear regression models and Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess multivariable relationships. Results: A total of 112 faculty responded to the survey, 54% of which were males and with average age of 44.2 ±9.2 years. INCOM yielded a score of 26.5 ± 5.5, while self-perceived depression, anxiety, stress, scored at 9.4 ±9.8, 11.9 ± 7.8, and 12.9 ± 10.5 using DASS-21. The burnout score using MBI-ES was 25 ± 18.8. In regression analysis, social comparison was significantly associated with depression (P=0.006), stress (P=0.001), and burnout (P=0.002) but not with anxiety. Only social comparison of ability, but not opinion, correlated with mental health (P<0.01). This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article Conclusion: This preliminary report from Qatar regarding social comparison among academic faculty showed that it can play a role in evoking increased depression, stress and burnout. Further research is needed for better understanding of social comparison effects on the well-being of faculty.
Keywords: Academic faculty, Anxiety, burnout, Depression, social comparison, stress
Received: 27 Oct 2025; Accepted: 27 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Hammoudi Halat, Abdel-Rahman, Al-Jayyousi and Malki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dalal Hammoudi Halat
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