Self-efficacy and psychological well-being in a sample of Italian university students with and without Specific Learning Disorder

Background: Despite an internationally recognized significant increase of students with a diagnosed Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) entering higher education, psychological features of university students with SLD still remain to be explored.

Aims: The study aims to investigate the perceived academic self-efficacy and to identify predictors of psychological well-being in a sample of university students with SLD, compared to a control group of students without SLD.

Methods and procedure: 60 Italian undergraduate students with SLD and 283 students without SLD were included in this study.

Outcomes and results: Results indicated that university students with SLD, compared to students without SLD but with comparable academic achievement, did not report significantly lower levels of academic self-efficacy. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis indicated that self-esteem and perceived social support by significant others did significantly predict the value of psychological well-being in students with SLD.

Conclusions and implications: The findings suggest that undergraduate students with SLD may represent a particular category of young adults who have beaten the odds, who have persisted in effort even if they struggled and then who have succeeded.