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. A questionnaire exploring undergraduate students’ sense of belonging, stress and wellbeing was conducted between December and February of the academic year with Year 2 and 3 students. The questionnaire was made available to all undergraduate cohorts studying law or psychology. A total of 95 undergraduate students across both subject schools responded, with a split of 46 law students and 49 psychology students. The results of the questionnaire suggested that a sense of belonging predicted higher levels of mental wellbeing and lower levels of stress. Law students had a lower sense of belonging and wellbeing than psychology students, but both showed similar levels of stress. The results suggest 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.