Emotional dysregulation and psychological symptomatology in university students: The mediating role of perceived academic performance

This study aimed to examine psychological symptomatology among Italian university students by testing the mediating role of perceived academic performance in the association between emotional dysregulation and multiple mental health outcomes, including well-being, symptoms, functioning, and risk. A total of 1134 students from the University of Chieti–Pescara completed an online survey between March and July 2025. Measures included the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Short Form (DERS-SF), the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation–Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), and a 12-item scale assessing the perception of academic performance. Path analysis was conducted using Jamovi with maximum likelihood estimation to test the hypothesized mediation model. Emotional dysregulation was negatively associated with perceived academic performance and positively related to all domains of psychological symptomatology. Perceived academic performance was significantly related to well-being, symptoms, functioning, and risk. Indirect effects indicated that perceived academic performance partially mediated the relationship between emotional dysregulation and psychological outcomes, accounting for up to 54% of the variance in psychological symptomatology. Conclusion: Findings indicate that emotional dysregulation is strongly associated with psychological symptomatology among university students and that perceived academic performance functions both as an outcome and a mediator in this relationship, underscoring its relevance within models of emotional dysregulation in student populations. • Emotional dysregulation predicts psychological distress in university students. • Perceived academic performance mediates the impact of dysregulation on outcomes. • Higher dysregulation linked to lower well-being and increased symptoms and risk • Academic underachievement worsens social and psychological functioning. • Targeting emotion regulation and academic performance may improve mental health.