Mental health of Italian university students: An overview of reviews.

Introduction: University students’ mental health is a global concern, with high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress. In Italy, no comprehensive synthesis is available. We conducted an overview of reviews to summarize prevalence rates, risk and protective factors for mental health outcomes, the characteristics and effectiveness of counseling services. Objectives: To describe the state of mental health among Italian university students, identify risk/protective factors, and synthesize evidence on counseling services and interventions. Methods: Following PRIOR guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO. From 96 records, 9 reviews met inclusion criteria (6 systematic, 2 with meta-analyses, 1 narrative, 1 rapid, 1 scoping). Reviews included Italian university students (2004–2023) and reported mental health outcomes or interventions. Results: Prevalence rates were high: anxiety (11–65%), depression (9–73%), stress (40–89%), and sleep disturbances (9–65%); suicidal ideation affected ~7%. Risk factors included female gender, younger age, first- year status, minority sexual orientation, health and family vulnerabilities, financial strain, academic pressure, and low social support. Protective factors were resilience, supportive relationships and physical activity. Interventions were heterogeneous, from psychodynamic and CBT counseling to group approaches, innovative techniques, and prevention programs. Counseling services were mostly short-term and free. Reviews reported improvements in well-being, coping, distress, and academic functioning. Conclusions: Italian university students showed a high burden of mental health problems. Risk and protective factors spanned individual, relational, and contextual domains. Counseling services appeared beneficial but lacked standardized and long-term evaluations. Strengthening evidence-based, accessible, and sustainable interventions in universities is a public health priority.