We are all in this together. A pilot study to promote well-being and social connectedness among international students in the University of Padua.

International literature has widely recognized international students as a vulnerable population, subjected to a number of challenges affecting their physical and mental health as well as their academic performance. The importance of exploring international students’ experiences among different countries and implementing interventions aimed to promote their well-being has been highlighted. The number of international students enrolled in Italian universities has been increasing in the past few decades, however very few studies have been conducted in order to explore international students’ experiences in this country. The present thesis reports and discusses the provision of a psychosocial intervention, aimed to promote well-being and social connectedness among international students enrolled in the University of Padua. The psychosocial intervention consisted of a blended modality: participants took part in a in-presence group activity and received online self-help materials for 8 weeks. A total of 9 participants took part in the intervention, which focused on different topics such as well-being, social-media usage, communication skills, challenges and resources of being an international student and more. Qualitative data have been collected by audio-recording and transcribing verbatim each in-presence session. A thematic analysis has been conducted in order to identify recurrent themes related to the overall experience of being an international student enrolled at the University of Padua, personal well-being, experiences in dealing with local services and so on. Results report that there are some aspects negatively and positively influencing well-being among international students’ population. Both needs, resources and challenges have been identified. Reported challenges faced by International students enrolled in the University of Padua are similar to those faced by foreign students in other countries (e.g. loneliness, linguistic barriers, etc.). However, the Italian context seems also to subject international students to unique challenges, suggesting the importance of assessing international students’ experience in Italian universities to address their needs effectively.