Clinical symptoms in pre-COVID-19 pandemic versus COVID-19 pandemic samples of Italian university students

BACKGROUND: Recent studies on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed that university students are in a more vulnerable position in terms of their mental health. METHODS: The aim of this study is to examine differences in clinical symptoms and psychological distress comparing two groups of university students seeking psychological intervention at a University Psychological Counselling Center before the COVID-19 pandemic period and during the pandemic. A sample of 187 students was distributed into two groups: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic (N.=115) and COVID-19 pandemic (N.=72). The Personality Inventory-Brief Form for DSM-5 was used to measure personality traits; the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised was used to assess clinical symptoms and the Outcome Questionnaire-45 explored important psychological distress.RESULTS: Findings highlighted higher levels of clinical symptoms in COVID-19 pandemic students than in pre-pandemic ones. Conversely, the two groups did not differ in psychological distress. Data seems to confirm that the pandemic period had a negative impact on the mental health of university students seeking psychological help.CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate the need to monitor the clinical symptomatology of university students to prevent long-term psychopathology influencing academic functioning.