Motivations for requesting counselling before and during the COVID-19 pandemic of Italian university students

Several studies have shown how the impact of the pandemic and restriction measures have negatively affected the mental health of university students. The effects of the restrictions have led to an increase in students’ requests to access college counselling, driven by the need to manage their difficulties. The aim of this study was to investigate how students’ motivations for accessing university counseling changed between the pre-lockdown period (TIME-A) and the lockdown period (TIME-B), also assessing differences dictated by gender and membership in different faculties. Through analyzing the access motivations of a sample of university students at an Italian institution, significant differences emerged between two time periods. Moreover, significant differences were observed concerning gender and affiliation with distinct disciplinary fields. This work helps shed light on the long-term effects of the pandemic on college students’ mental health, suggesting the need to implement strategies to monitor college students’ mental health that take into account their needs and context.