Responding to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: The Usefulness of an Online Brief Psychological Intervention with Italian University Students

Y

15

COVID-19; Pandemics; Stress Variables; College Students; Mental Health; Well Being; Program Effectiveness; Intervention; Depression (Psychology); Anxiety; Burnout; Psychological Patterns; At Risk Students; Foreign Countries

10.1002/pits.22785

0033-3085
1520-6807

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about new stressors on university students, with a negative impact on their mental health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of a brief psychodynamically oriented intervention on general functioning by investigating changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and burnout. The sample was comprised of 67 university students (22.4% males), with a mean age of 23.27 (standard deviation (SD) = 3.27), who asked for psychological help at a psychological university service. Pre- and posttreatment data showed a significant improvement in general functioning and symptom reduction due to the psychological intervention. The mean change was very high for depression (d = 1.11) and high for general functioning (d = 0.70) and anxiety (d = 0.69). Our findings showed the importance of considering university students a vulnerable population that requires specific services within the university context and underlined the fact that mental-health-promotion policies should be extensively implemented.

As Provided

2023

EJ1372936