Psychological intervention for university students: the counselling service of Sapienza University of Roma - Suppl. 1A Symposia

University is a stressful time of transition and change. The multiple challenges affecting the transition from adolescence to adulthood may increase the psychopathological risk for university students, with negative effects on their academic career. Empirical data about the influence of emotional experiences on learning processes and the high dropout rates registered throughout university years have contributed to the expansion of counselling services for students within the Italian universities. This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic characteristics as well as the psychological problems in a group of university students (N=703) seeking for psychological help available in the Counselling Center of Sapienza University of Rome from 2008 to 2014. Findings obtained by a subgroup of students who completed the Adult Self Report (ASR) questionnaires were analyzed in order to examine the level of their internalizing and/or externalizing symptoms. Data analysis showed that the average age of the subjects is 24.78 years (SD = 5.02) with a high prevalence of female students (69.57%). The students are mostly Italian (91.29%) and the majority of them (58.24%) are not resident in Rome. The most frequent psychological problems were: anxiety, emotional distress and difficulty in studying for and /or take the exams. According to the scientific literature this exploratory study highlights that university students mainly reported emotional difficulties (e.g., anxiety and depression symptoms) and concerns about relationships. Moreover, there was a greater propensity of female students to seek professional psychological help. These data support the usefulness of the psychological counseling services and stress the importance of dealing with the emotional distress expressed by university students through targeted interventions.