Belonging matters: Associations between sense of community and mental health symptoms in college students

Objective: This study investigated how sense of community (SOC) relates to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress in college students. Participants: Survey responses from first-year and first-year transfer students (n = 247) at a small college were analyzed. Methods: Students completed the Brief Sense of Community Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Spearman correlations and unadjusted linear regression analyses were used to examine associations due to non-normality in several variables. Results: Greater SOC was significantly associated with fewer symptoms of depression (r = −.41), anxiety (r = −.25), and stress (r = −.27), all ps < .01. In unadjusted regression models predicting depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, group membership (a dimension of SOC) was the only significant predictor and was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (p = .014). Conclusions: These findings underscore SOC’s relationship to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Results can help inform campus-level strategies to strengthen community.