Mapping psychological resources and vulnerabilities for inclusive university environments: a network analysis of student well-being

Background University students navigate the developmental period of emerging adulthood, marked by increasing autonomy, identity exploration, and heightened exposure to social demands. These challenges can activate both psychological vulnerabilities and personal resources that influence well-being and academic participation. Despite extensive research on these constructs, most studies have relied on variable-centered approaches that overlook how these dimensions interact within a broader psychosocial system. This study adopted a network analytic perspective to examine the dynamic interconnections among twelve psychological variables relevant to student well-being, including three dimensions of perfectionism (self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed), self-concept clarity, self-esteem, self-efficacy, internal and external locus of control, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and academic satisfaction. Methods A sample of 205 Italian university students completed a battery of validated self-report measures. Using the EBICglasso estimator, we computed a regularized partial correlation network and derived centrality and clustering indices. Bootstrapped edge-weight accuracy and case-dropping procedures were used to assess the stability of the network structure. Results The resulting network revealed 36 non-zero edges and a coherent pattern of associations. Self-esteem emerged as the most central node across strength, closeness, and betweenness indices, indicating its broad influence on both personal resources and vulnerability factors. Anxiety displayed the highest clustering values, forming densely interconnected triads with multiple constructs. While self-oriented perfectionism showed adaptive connections with personal resources, socially prescribed perfectionism was linked to psychological distress. Academic satisfaction held a peripheral position but maintained meaningful links with both protective and maladaptive variables. Stability analyses supported the robustness of the network. Conclusions These findings highlight self-esteem as a key psychological hub and underscore the value of targeting identity-related resources and maladaptive perfectionistic tendencies to support student well-being. Framed within an inclusion and equity perspective, the results suggest that strengthening core psychological resources may help create more supportive and accessible university environments, promoting both individual functioning and equitable academic engagement.