Craig Francesco, Colella Gianluca Mariano, Tenuta Flaviana, Mauti Martina, Gravina Antonio, Calomino Maria Luigia, Plastina Roberta, Polito Alberto, Costabile Angela
Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy.
Psychological Counseling Services, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy.
Front Psychol. 2025 Aug 8;16:1602009. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1602009. eCollection 2025.
University students encounter specific psychosocial challenges contributing to increasing psychological distress. The dual continua model posits that psychological wellbeing and distress are separate yet interrelated aspects of mental health. This study examines the relationships between psychological wellbeing, academic engagement, and mental distress in students seeking support from a University Psychological Counseling Service and evaluates the effectiveness of psychological counseling interventions in improving wellbeing and reducing distress.
A mixed-method approach was adopted, incorporating both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. A total of 246 students completed self-report measures such as the Ryff's Psychological Wellbeing Scale, the SInAPSi Academic Engagement Scale, and the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation. For the longitudinal component, 90 students were assessed before (T0) and after (T1) six counseling sessions. Multiple regression and mediation analyses explored predictors of distress, while paired -tests evaluated intervention outcomes.
Self-Acceptance ( < 0.001) and Environmental Mastery ( = 0.037) dimensions significantly predicted lower psychological distress. Academic engagement did not mediate the relationship between wellbeing and distress. Post-intervention, psychological distress decreased significantly ( < 0.001), with 56.7% of students falling over the clinical distress cut-off at T1 compared to 84.4% at T0. The Autonomy ( = 0.03) and Self-Acceptance ( = 0.002) dimensions showed significant post-intervention improvements. The current study emphasizes that mental health is a dynamic, multidimensional construct, including both psychological distress and wellbeing. Universities should integrate positive psychology into curricula and expand psychological counseling services to provide proactive support, focusing on resilience, stress management, and emotional regulation.
大学生面临特定的社会心理挑战，导致心理困扰不断增加。双连续体模型认为，心理健康和心理困扰是心理健康中相互独立但又相互关联的方面。本研究探讨了在向大学心理咨询服务机构寻求帮助的学生中，心理健康、学业投入与心理困扰之间的关系，并评估心理咨询干预在改善心理健康和减轻心理困扰方面的效果。
采用混合方法，包括横断面分析和纵向分析。共有246名学生完成了自我报告测量，如赖夫心理健康量表、SInAPSi学业投入量表和常规评估中的临床结果量表。对于纵向部分，90名学生在六次咨询疗程之前（T0）和之后（T1）接受了评估。多元回归和中介分析探索了困扰的预测因素，而配对检验评估了干预结果。
自我接纳维度（<0.001）和环境掌控维度（=0.037）显著预测了较低的心理困扰。学业投入并未介导心理健康与心理困扰之间的关系。干预后，心理困扰显著降低（<0.001），在T1时，56.7%的学生低于临床困扰临界值，而在T0时这一比例为84.4%。自主性维度（=0.03）和自我接纳维度（=0.002）在干预后有显著改善。本研究强调，心理健康是一个动态的、多维度的概念，包括心理困扰和心理健康。大学应将积极心理学纳入课程，并扩大心理咨询服务，以提供积极主动的支持，重点关注心理韧性、压力管理和情绪调节。
