Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Jennifer Groscup

Reader 2

Jennifer Ma

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2023 Maya R. Wilson

Abstract

The relationship between commensality, or the act of eating together, and mental health has gained fairly recent attention in psychological research. Past studies have indicated that there is a significant relationship between commensality and mental health across age groups and cultures, however, studies have not looked at how commensality relates to a more broad range of mental health indicators among a population of college students. The purpose of this study is to understand if there is a relationship between commensality and mental health among college students in the United States and if sense of belonging serves as a mediator in this relationship. Participants will complete a survey that asks them about their mental health, sense of belonging, frequency of eating with others versus eating alone, and basic demographics. The results are expected to indicate that a higher frequency of shared meals is associated with greater mental health in the form of positivity, life satisfaction, and self-esteem, and a lower frequency of shared meals is associated with greater negative mental health consequences in the form of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and loneliness. Additionally, it is expected that sense of belonging will partially mediate these relationships. This study may contribute to a greater understanding of the relationship between commensality and mental health, and it has the potential to help college students shape their mealtimes in a way that is most beneficial to their well-being.

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