Student well-being: the impact of belonging, COVID-19 pandemic related student stress, loneliness, and academic anxiety

Introduction: This research investigates the relationship between collegiate community and degree department belonging, loneliness, COVID-19 pandemic related student stress, coping self-efficacy, and academic anxiety among UK collegiate context. The study focuses on how these factors have shaped students' academic and social experiences in the post-pandemic era, with particular emphasis on variations based on gender as well as home versus international status among both undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts. Methods: = 184, 42.8%) participants were postgraduate students. Results: The research findings indicate that stress related to COVID-19 has adversely affected both types of belongingness- collegiate community and degree department belonging -while concurrently elevating academic anxiety across diverse demographic groups. Loneliness emerged as a significant mediating variable, with pronounced effects observed among international and male students. The presence of academic anxiety exacerbated feelings of loneliness and diminished coping self-efficacy, particularly in female and undergraduate cohorts. International students experienced notable disruptions in their sense of collegiate belonging and heightened levels of loneliness. Undergraduate students demonstrated greater susceptibility to stress-induced declines in belongingness, whereas postgraduate students reported more severe ramifications of loneliness on their academic and social relationships. Discussion: These results underscore the necessity for targeted interventions designed to foster social connectedness, alleviate academic anxiety, and bolster support systems within the post-pandemic educational framework.