Keele Research Repository

People derive a sense of self from membership in social groups. Universities are an ecosystem of different communities and represent a significant opportunity to explore how group memberships can impact mental wellbeing. A key university group is students’ school of study, membership of which enables individuals to develop an academic identity. We argue that a strong sense of belonging and thus academic identity, within the school community can lead to positive mental wellbeing. We focus on sense of belonging within academic schools because the positive impact of group membership is likely to exist to a greater degree in an academic school than in other university communities. We conducted online focus groups with 21 undergraduate students studying either law or psychology at a research intensive university. Our aim was to explore their academic identity and sense of belonging within their academic school of study, and how these variables impacted their mental wellbeing. Our thematic analysis indicates that students with strong identities, who feel a sense of belonging in their school community – particularly where the basis of that community is peer-to-peer engagement – display greater help-seeking behaviours in times of difficulty. If peers are viewed negatively, students are less forthcoming when in need of support. Our results have important implications for Schools who can promote peer support as a way of improving student mental wellbeing.