This paper analyzes the impact of the deteriorating security conditions and shrinking spaces of academic freedom in many countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on the emotional health of researchers working in or on the region (“MENA researchers”). With the notable exception of Tunisia, the environments of academic activities have become more hostile in almost all other MENA countries. These tendencies do not only result from the spread of violence in civil war countries such as Libya, Syria and Yemen. Also, the incumbent regimes in most other MENA countries have tightened their control and surveillance of academia in general, and social sciences in particular: Rulers such as Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey), Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egypt), King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Saudi Arabia), Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed (UAE) or the Council of the Guardians around Ayatollah Khameini in Iran have intensified their restrictions on academic research, resulting in the rejection of research proposals on “national security” grounds, if not even leading to the dismissal or eventual arrest of researchers. This has led to increasing self-censorship among MENA researchers, implying a loss of academic relevance of MENA-oriented research. The paper discusses the findings of a comprehensive survey on the professional and personal situation of academics working in and on the MENA region, highlighting in particular their major emotional challenges and stress factors. Based on a questionnaire distributed globally in November/December 2019 among MENA researchers, it problematizes psychological hardships for academics working on and in the MENA region. Fear of professional and personal consequences has spread among local, but also international researchers, having a clear impact on their emotional health. Thus, the paper problematizes the extent to which MENA-oriented research can threaten researchers’ mental integrity, and what individual scholars as well as research institutes and funding organizations can initiate to better support researchers in emotionally stressful situations. Based on the answers of 274 questionnaire respondents, the paper will not only analyze the prevailing assessment of the state of academic freedom in the MENA countries by those who are directly affected, but also shed light on the specific working conditions for MENA-oriented scholars and the resulting consequences for their personal well-being. Thus, the paper will also contribute to the current discourse on research ethics and the responsibilities of academic institutions for field researchers in non-democratic settings.