Abstract
The importance of belonging for physical and psychological wellbeing has been well documented. Given that adolescents spend a significant amount of time in the school context, it is not entirely surprising that a sense of belonging to one’s school may play an integral role in positive mental health outcomes. In the current thesis, I carried out two studies. In Study 1, I aimed to examine the relationship between school belonging, sleep quality, smartphone addiction and mental health in adolescents. Study 1 had one hypothesis – that school belonging would predict mental health even when controlling for sleep quality and smartphone addiction. Findings from Study 1 supported this hypothesis, supporting the relationship between school belonging and mental health in adolescents. Despite the relationship between school belonging and mental health in adolescents being well documented in the literature, there is a consensus that there is minimal research investigating how belonging can be fostered within the school context. Thus, in Study 2, I attempted to address the research-practice gap by investigating the impact of a group-based program (i.e., the Travellers Program) on school belonging and happiness. Study 2 had three hypotheses. First, that school belonging would increase from the start to the end of the program. Second, that school happiness would increase from the start to the end of the program. Third, increases in school belonging would predict increases in happiness. Support for these hypotheses was mixed. That is, although school belonging increased, there was no change in social exclusion or school happiness.