Nazarena Patrizi

Mal)Adaptive Psychological Functioning of Students Utilizing University Counseling Services

Background: University students confront psychological difficulties that can negatively influence their academic performance. The present study aimed to assess several areas of adaptive and maladaptive psychological functioning among university students who request counseling services. Method: One hundred eighty-four young female students seeking professional psychological help (Counseling seekers) and 185 young female students who have never asked for psychological help (Non-counseling seekers) were asked to complete the Adult Self-Report (ASR) to evaluate both their internalizing and externalizing problems through DSM-oriented scales as well as their adaptive functioning. Results: ANOVA results indicated worse psychological functioning for the students who sought counseling. They reported lower score in ASR Adaptive Functioning Scales (i.e., friends, jobs, family, education), and higher scores in DSM-oriented scales (i.e., Depressive, Anxiety, Somatic, Avoidant Personality, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity symptoms) than the students who never asked psychological help. Furthermore, discriminant analysis successfully discriminated between the two groups of students on the basis of the ASR’s adaptive and DSM-oriented scales. Conclusion: The study findings could be useful to guide university counseling services in their screening activities as well as useful for clinical practice.

The effectiveness of university counselling for improving academic outcomes and well-being

ABSTRACT The work discusses the effectiveness of the counselling treatment to enhance student academic success. The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (66 students who had completed counselling treatment) or a wait-list comparison group (44 students). The Adult Self Report (ASR) by Achenbach and Rescorla [2003. Manual for the ASEBA adult forms & profiles. Burlington, VT: Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families, University of Vermont] and the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45) by Lambert and Hill [1994. Assessing psychotherapy outcomes and processes. In A. E. Bergin & S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (pp. 72–113). New York: John Wiley] were applied before and after the counselling sessions. Data show statistically significant decrease in the ASR clinical scales for both internalising and externalising problems after counselling as well as in the OQ-45 scores for distress symptoms and relationship difficulties. Compared with the control group, the students who received counselling exhibited a significant recovery regarding their progress with their studies.

Cognitive Strategies, Motivation to Learning, Levels of Wellbeing and Risk of Drop-out: An Empirical Longitudinal Study for Qualifying Ongoing University Guidance Services

Abstract The paper concerns a longitudinal empirical study aiming to establish the relation between certain factors that facilitate (or sometimes hinder) academic achievement such as motivation to study, the cognitive strategies employed and the levels of wellness or distress expressed by indicators like anxiety and depression. It thus aimed to identify the role of these factors on the risk of student drop-out. The study was carried out on a sample of 68 self-selected students enrolled in various degree courses at “Roma Tre” University, who had fully completed the three consecutive surveys geared to investigating their academic experience over a one-year period. The measurement tools used assessed: a) “drop-out intentions” (Hardre & Reeve Scale, 2003); b) “wellness/distress levels”, (Adult Self-Report ASR; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2003); c) cognitive/study strategies (self-regulated knowledge; Manganelli, Alivernini, Mallia & Biasi, 2015); d) motivational aspects (Academic Motivation Scale AMS, validated in Italy by Alivernini and Lucidi (2008). The results show how that the drop-out risk is linked to high levels of depression or distress, poor competence in cognitive strategies adopted, and high levels of “Amotivation” and “External Motivation”. On the basis of the above empirical evidence we propose starting up specific ongoing actions within the university guidance services in order to simultaneously improve wellbeing through emotional support, redefine decisions in the study path in line with personal motivation, and develop adequate cognitive strategies to devise a functional study method.

I colloqui di orientamento per facilitare il successo accademico: Una indagine sperimentale

This article discusses the effectiveness of colloquium for university guidance in facilitating academic success and address the phenomenon of the delay in the studies, which also represents a drop-out risk factor. Before and after the session period of the colloquium for guidance, are administered some questionnaires including the OQ-45 and Lambert Hill (1994; Lo Coco et al., 2008). Participants are divided into an experimental group (80 students completing the guidance session in the first semester), and a control group (52 students placed on the waiting list, who have booked advice for guidance session in the next semester). The characteristics of the participants are described (age, frequented faculty, main areas of discomfort), and data collected show the significant reduction of the symptoms of stress and of the common relational difficulties after the colloquia for university guidance. Data underscore even the efficacy and good stability effects during the follow-up session. Moreover, compared to the control group, students who have done the session path for orientation have showed a significant recovery of the studies. The offer by a university institution of guidance colloquium is one of the many initiatives to facilitate academic success, as well as the setting up of credit recovery courses, the presence of educational support achieved through mentoring and/or online individualized teaching strategies the implementation of paths of re-training orientation.