Psychological counselling services at a Southern Italian university: utilization rates and characteristics of university students asking help.

Aim: To assess the utilization rate of a university psychological counselling center in Southern Italy, a retrospective analysis of data collected from September 2018 to December 2023 was conducted.

Method: Data were gathered through an online questionnaire, which was distributed to students seeking psychological help (SH) from University Counselling Service (UCS) at their first contact with the service.

Results: The frequency of contacts with UCS (n=639) and the number of SH students who received psychological counselling (n=503) significantly differed over a 6-year period, with the highest number of interviews delivered after the Covid-19 pandemic (contacts: χ2=84.814, p<.0001; interventions: χ2=25.161, p<.0001). More than 40% of the SH students were medical students, followed by approximately 32% of students attending psychological courses. Differences were found across years in the type of course attended by SH students (χ2=54.323, p<.0001) and in dropout rates (χ2=24.427, p<.0001).

Discussion and conclusions: The significantly higher demand for psychological help confirms the increased psychological distress in university students. The shift to online modalities and the broader dissemination of mental health literacy, particularly in the aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak, may explain the significant increase in service utilization rates. These findings highlight the need for timely interventions to address the needs of SH students.