Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40178658›Full record

ArticleThe Psychiatric quarterly2025

Psychological Problems and Academic Motivation in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study One Year after the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy.

Alda Troncone, Gaia Caldarelli, Marina Cosenza, Gaetana Affuso, Mariagiulia Sacco, Maria Ciccarelli, Barbara Pizzini

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Psychiatric quarterly, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Alda Troncone *Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy. alda.troncone@unicampania.it.ORCID 0000-0002-4641-6314
Gaia Caldarelli *Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.ORCID 0009-0005-2502-8063
Marina CosenzaDepartment of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-5813-017X
Gaetana AffusoDepartment of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-2861-7892
Mariagiulia SaccoDepartment of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8587-7287
Maria CiccarelliDepartment of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7285-1707
Barbara PizziniDepartment of Psychology, Telematic University "Giustino Fortunato", Benevento, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5234-4823

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study was aimed at exploring students' psychological condition (operationalized through psychological distress and perceived loneliness) one year after the COVID-19 lockdown and testing its role in predicting academic motivation. The possible mediating role of emotional regulation in this relationship was also investigated. A non-random sample of university students completed a cross-sectional online survey assessing their psychological distress, feelings of loneliness, emotion regulation strategies, and academic motivation. Structural equation modeling multi-group analysis was used to examine the relation between variables. The final sample comprised 479 students (62.8% female, Mage = 22.16 ± 2.79 years) from several degree courses attending Italian universities. Of these, 56.6% and 41.5% of the participants showed high levels of psychological distress and perceived loneliness, respectively. Psychological distress and loneliness were positively associated with problems with emotion-regulation abilities and negatively associated with academic motivation. The lack of emotional awareness, in turn, reduced their academic motivation levels. Analysis of the indirect effects showed that psychological distress affected academic motivation via awareness (β = -.02, p < .05 and β = -.03, p < .05 in males and females, respectively). Overall, the model was able to predict academic motivation in university students, explaining a reasonable percentage of the variance (14% for males and 17% for females). These results indicate a meaningful effect of students' psychological condition on academic motivation. Implications for the definition and implementation of actions to support students in managing psychological problems and feelings of loneliness and to foster students' psychological health in university settings are discussed.

Indexed as

COVID-19Emotional RegulationLonelinessMotivationPsychological DistressStudentsAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansItalyMaleUniversitiesYoung AdultAcademic motivationEmotion regulationLonelinessPsychological distressUniversity students

Identifiers

PMID40178658
PMCPMC12460576

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