WAVE Project | Psychological Wellbeing for University and Fine Arts Students in Lazio

Vision

To promote a university and academic community where the mental and physical well-being of students is recognized as a core value for personal growth, educational success, and social development.

Mission

The WAVE project is committed to developing a unified, shared, and replicable model for promoting well-being and preventing psychological distress among the university and AFAM population of Lazio. This is achieved through integrated interventions in research, prevention, psychological support, expressive activities, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and the enhancement of clinical and services.

Protective factors such as a supportive social network, healthy lifestyles, and the ability to regulate emotions can make all the difference.

WAVE was created to strengthen these positive protective factors, reduce risks, and promote a widespread culture of mental and physical well-being within the university community. The project adopts an integrated approach that pairs psychological with the promotion of physical activity, healthy lifestyles, and the care of emotional and relational balance, recognizing them as fundamental elements for the overall well-being of the individual.

Through prevention, information, and support actions, WAVE helps normalize asking for help and sharing difficulties, countering stereotypes, prejudices, and forms of exclusion that can hinder well-being and participation in university life.

The creation of an integrated system of free services offered by Universities to their enrolled students – including psychological support, sports activities, expressive paths, awareness-raising moments, and much more – makes it possible to accompany students throughout their university journey, promoting an active lifestyle, a sense of belonging, and full participation in the academic community.

WAVE is not just a name, but a symbol of openness, emotional resonance, inclusion, and movement toward mental and physical well-being.

The WAVE project is aimed at university and AFAM students, with a particular focus on the transition phases from adolescence to early adulthood—a period characterized by heightened psychological and relational vulnerability.

The transition toward adulthood involves complex challenges: building personal , developing autonomy, defining life and professional goals, changes in relationships, and progressive emancipation from the family.

Alongside these developmental tasks, students often face pressures related to university life, academic performance, uncertainties about the future, and the perception of a lack of social support.

Numerous studies highlight that the university population faces a higher risk of developing stress, anxiety and mood disorders, and interpersonal difficulties. In particular, addictions to tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, as well as behavioral addictions (gambling, food, internet, and new technologies), represent significant risk factors for health.

The WAVE project addresses well-being from an integrated and global perspective, which includes:

Psychological and emotional health
Physical health
Healthy lifestyles (nutrition, physical activity, prevention)
Quality of relationships and social support
Development of emotional, relational, and self-regulation skills

Find out more about psychophysical well-being

The WAVE project was a winner of the PROBEN Call for Proposals, funded by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR).
The lead institution is Sapienza University of Rome, in partnership with:

The partnership operates in collaboration with the Pro-Ben Lazio2 project, coordinated by the University of Rome Tor Vergata, with the aim of defining and implementing a shared “Lazio model” for the promotion of psychological and psychophysical well-being in Universities and Academies.

WAVE was established within the PRO-BEN Lazio 1 project (PROBEN – 0000007 LAZIO 1, Code BE2E461C – WAVE – Wellbeing and Assistance for Valuable Education), funded with the contribution of the Ministry of University and Research pursuant to Directorial Decree no. 1159 of July 23, 2023 – PROBEN Call for Proposals CUP MASTER B53C24004240001.

WAVE was further expanded into the ProBen2024_0000012 LAZIO 1 project, WAVE 2 – Wellbeing and Assistance for Valuable Education, funded with the contribution of the Ministry of University and Research pursuant to Directorial Decree no. 1396 of September 18, 2024.

Project Leaders: