Abstract

The transition to university is associated with heightened psychological distress, particularly for international and first-year students. This convergent mixed methods study aimed to explore student mentees’ experiences of The Comfort Corner, a co-designed, student-led wellbeing program. One hundred students completed an online survey exploring their psychological wellbeing, resilience, perceived academic performance, sense of belonging, stress, and program experience, with a further 12 students participating in semi-structured interviews. Most survey participants were first-year (69%) and international students, with common stressors including balancing study, work and social life, and keeping up with assignments. Quantitative analyses showed that sense of belonging and lower stress significantly predicted higher scores for psychological wellbeing, while sense of belonging and faculty (i.e., Science and Engineering) predicted lower perceived academic performance. Sense of belonging was, in turn, predicted by psychological wellbeing and perceived academic performance. No demographic or contextual variables predicted resilience. Deductive qualitative content analysis was used to map content to five overarching descriptors: fostering a community of support for students on campus, providing a safe and welcoming environment, making connections with fellow students, helping fellow students, and linking students to professional support. Students particularly valued the informal, non-judgmental space, relatability of peer mentors, and access to the therapy dog. Findings suggest that low-cost, co-designed peer mentoring and animal-assisted initiatives can enhance belonging and wellbeing for students enrolled in higher education.

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