The relationship between the sense of belonging, mental wellbeing and stress in students of law and psychology in an English University

Abstract

This paper explores how sense of belonging impacts mental wellbeing and stress in students of law and psychology in an English University. 

N=95 students completed a questionnaire exploring their sense of belonging in their school, wellbeing and stress. 

Results suggested that sense of belonging predicted higher levels of mental wellbeing and lower levels of stress. Law students felt a lower sense of belonging and wellbeing than psychology students, but both showed similar levels of stress. 

This suggests that community-based approaches at school level may be a good way to promote positive mental wellbeing in students and that this approach may need to be tailored towards different academic schools.