There’s no place like dorm: actual-ideal dorm ambiance as a unique predictor of undergraduate mental health

Abstract

Undergraduate students are a high risk population for mental health challenges. Critically, residing in a setting that fails to evoke desired emotions and perceptions may have important implications for psychological wellbeing. Although previous research has investigated the relationship between student satisfaction and architecture/building amenities, little research has investigated how the ambiance of students’ residences relates to mental health. Across a pair of studies, we evaluate the relationship between actual-ideal ambiance congruency (A-IAC) and mental health outcomes and mood. In Study 1, participants completed a pair of Q-sort tasks that required them to describe both their ideal room ambiance and their current room’s actual ambiance. The discrepancy between these sorts was predictive of depressive symptoms, even when controlling for key covariates (e.g., personality, health, academics). In Study 2, these results were replicated among roommate pairs using dyadic analyses, while also being predictive of anxiety symptoms. Collectively, these studies reveal a novel environmental predictor of student wellbeing that can be of value for university staff. Ultimately, these findings suggest that having the ability to create one’s ideal space may prove to be beneficial and possibly protective for the mental health of undergraduate university students.