Promoting student Mental Health: longitudinal evidence from the psychological support service at Tor Vergata University in Rome.

AIMS This study aims to evaluate the impact of the Tor Vergata University psychological support service in promoting well-being and mitigating psychological distress among students. The research sought to examine changes in overall functioning and psychopathological dimensions following participation in a structured counseling intervention, assessing its role as a preventive and supportive resource within the academic environment.

METHODS A longitudinal study was conducted on 83 university students (mean age= 22.3±2.38 years; 69.9% female) who accessed the Sportello Studenti psychological support service. Participants completed standardized assessments at baseline (T0) and after seven counseling sessions held every two weeks (T1), with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Global Functioning: Role and Social Scales (GF: Role; GF: Social). Non-parametric paired comparisons (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests) were used to evaluate changes in psychological distress and functioning.

RESULTS Following participation in the counseling program, students showed significant improvements across functioning domains, while depressive symptoms and general psychopathology significantly decreased.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that short-term counseling interventions delivered within a university setting can produce measurable benefits for students' mental health. The Sportello Studenti represents an accessible, preventive, and effective first-line service for addressing psychological distress in university populations. Future research with larger samples, control groups, and long-term follow-up is warranted to confirm these outcomes and further optimize psychological support strategies within higher education contexts.