Finding flow in pandemic times: Leisure opportunities for optimal experience and positive mental health among Italian university students

Abstract

The restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted citizens’ lives worldwide. In this emergency context, mental health levels and flow-promoting activities – with specific attention to leisure - were investigated among 1281 Italian university students attending courses in Health Sciences (HS) and Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (HuPS). They participated in an online survey including, among other instruments, the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), an open-ended question investigating flow activities, and demographic information. Most participants identified flow-promoting activities, primarily in the Productive and Leisure domains, but languishing students, as indicated by their scores on the MHC-SF, did it in a significantly lower percentage. Within Leisure, HuPS students reported Media/Reading and Hobbies, while HS students mentioned Sports in significantly higher percentages, suggesting a connection between flow activities and participants’ academic and professional goals. Findings also suggested that promoting flow among languishing students can help counterbalance their documented higher risk for psychopathology.