Perceived effects of residential design on mental well-being: A quasi-experimental study of the University of Michigan's Munger graduate residences

Introduction

Research documents effects of residential settings on mental well-being (MWB), yet studies on graduate student housing and MWB are scarce. The University of Michigan's (UM) Munger Graduate Residences (“Munger”) building, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, offers students a central campus housing location, generous common areas, and residential units containing shared living spaces for six or seven residents who each receive their own private bedroom and bathroom. Of the building's 631 bedrooms, 87% do not have windows.

Methods

This quasi-experimental, multi-method study compared Munger (n = 124) and non-Munger (n = 132) graduate student residents’ self-reported MWB, identified design elements residents perceived to affect MWB, and explored how these design elements influenced MWB according to residents. A questionnaire was distributed virtually to 2295 UM graduate students (618 Munger residents, 1677 living elsewhere, locally) that consisted of an existing MWB scale (three subscales: Attentional Function Index, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and Social Connectedness Scale) and open-ended questions about design elements and MWB. MWB scale and subscale scores were compared for the 256 completed (of 447) responses using multiple linear regression, accounting for demographic, academic, and residential characteristics. Quantitative content analysis of 236 complete open-ended responses was used to identify and compare frequencies of design elements associated with MWB. Design elements most frequently associated with MWB were further analyzed using qualitative content analysis to understand how residents perceived design to affect MWB.

Results

When compared to non-Munger residents, Munger residents reported significantly lower MWB (p < .001), attentional function (p = .004), positive and negative affect (p = .001), and social connectedness (p = .002). Content analyses revealed 13 design element categories residents perceived to influence MWB. Positive MWB effects were reported for Munger's amenities and non-Munger units' amount of space for privacy and interaction. Munger residents reported more negative and fewer positive MWB effects of design than non-Munger residents. Although design elements reported to negatively affect MWB across groups primarily related to poor indoor environmental quality and control (e.g., lighting, temperature, ventilation) and social control over privacy and interaction, 75.9% of Munger (vs. 0%, non-Munger) residents reported that windowless bedrooms negatively affected MWB.

Conclusions

According to residents, Munger's generous shared amenities and naturally lit common areas did not compensate for perceived negative MWB effects of windowless private bedrooms, inadequate indoor environmental quality, inability to control lighting, temperature, and ventilation, and high-density living with randomly-assigned roommates. Study findings have implications for designers, planners, developers, and policy makers working with future graduate student and multi-unit housing, as well as recommendations for existing housing management to support MWB.