Introduction
Psychological well-being is influenced not only by individual factors but also by contextual and social dynamics, especially within university environments where academic achievement and community belonging meet. A key concept in this area is the sense of community, which includes belonging, mutual influence, the fulfilment of personal needs, and shared emotional bonds. Universities, often viewed as small communities, offer a valuable context for exploring how the sense of community affects students' well-being, satisfaction, and persistence.
Objectives
This study aimed to examine the relationships between university students' sense of community, academic satisfaction, and both positive outcomes (life satisfaction, flourishing) and negative outcomes (stress, risk of drop-out).
Methods
A longitudinal design involved 439 Italian university students, who completed online surveys at two time points. Instruments included the University Student Sense of Community scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Flourishing Scale, and the College Satisfaction Scale. To examine the hypothesised relationships, we proposed that academic satisfaction mediates the relationship between Sense of Community and student outcomes. Mediation models were tested using the bootstrapping method to assess the significance of indirect effects.
Results
The data analysis results enable us to identify factors that protect and promote students' well-being and academic quality of life. Mediation analyses showed that academic satisfaction completely mediates the relationship between the sense of community and life satisfaction, as well as flourishing and thoughts of changing and interrupting; it also partially mediates the relationship between the sense of community and academic stress.
Limitations
Findings are constrained by convenience sampling, geographical imbalance, and reliance on self-report measures, limiting generalisability.
Discussion
The results confirm that sense of community is a multidimensional resource supporting students' well-being, satisfaction, and retention. The current study provides practical applications for counselling and psycho-educational interventions designed at enhancing students' integration, resilience, and academic trajectories.