Beyond symptoms? Investigating predictors of sense of campus belonging among postsecondary students with psychiatric disabilities

This study investigated predictors of sense of campus belonging among postsecondary students with psychiatric disabilities. Participants were 566 current or past students with self-reported diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. Regression results showed that campus engagement and psychosocial inclusion variables accounted for substantially more of the variance in sense of campus belonging than available symptomatological variables. Follow-up path modeling demonstrated the strong mediating role of sense of social exclusion, sense of opportunity, student relationships, and participation in clubs and organizations in the relationship of symptoms factors with sense of belonging. Implications for future research and program development are discussed, with an emphasis on moving beyond symptom-centered interventions to those that stress robust campus integration and engagement.