Challenges of the transition to university: identifying psychological and academic profiles of STEM university students

Purpose: Transition to university represents an important turning point for students, who show a high risk for mental health associated with the persistence of university students and their academic motivation and engagement. Regarding STEM disciplines, these issues are even more relevant, given the higher dropout rates. This cross-sectional study aimed at identifying first-year students’ profiles of intention to dropout, psychological distress, engagement, and motivation. Moreover, characteristics of the subgroups were analyzed. Design/methodology/approach: Latent Profile Analysis was performed considering 1,114 bachelor’s students. Findings: Three groups were identified: “adjusted” (62.5%), characterized by no distress, intrinsic and identified motivation, high engagement and no intention to dropout; “on the tightrope” (31.8%), characterized by moderate distress, intrinsic and identified motivation, medium-high engagement and intention to dropout; “dis-involved” (5.7%), characterized by moderate distress, low engagement, external motivation and intention to dropout. Distribution of gender across the three groups was not significantly different. Originality/value: Findings suggested that most of the sample belonged to the “adjusted”, who relied on resources and protective factors to face the challenges of the transition to university. Nevertheless, the other two groups showed a higher risk to dropout and therefore could need ad hoc psychological interventions aimed at promoting psychological well-being and academic adjustment.