Scholastic psychological well-being and irrational thoughts in students of primary and secondary school: An Italian study

The period of pre-adolescence is a period of age transition during which undesirable feelings such as anxiety, shyness, guilt, depression and anger are experienced accompanied by physical and hormonal changes experienced during puberty. Therefore, during early adolescence the psychological well-being is a critical issue. This period of transition coincides to the passage from the primary to the secondary school in Italy. This transition could have some effects on the psychological well-being on children, in particular on their scholastic well-being. In addition, during early adolescence children develop irrational thoughts. We tested, therefore, the variation of scholastic well-being and irrational thoughts in children of the primary (n = 50; mean age 10.5; 56 % females) and secondary school (n = 61; mean age 11.5; 49 % females). Results showed that children of the secondary school have lower scholastic well-being and higher level of irrational thoughts than children of primary school. In particular, during the transition from the primary to the secondary school, children showed a lower level of satisfaction with academic results and the perception of a low support from their teachers. In addition, there was also a stronger reduction of self-esteem and an increment of distrust in achieving scholastic success. A scholastic psychological support, with particular attention to the emotional development of early-adolescents, is suggested. •Secondary school students have lower scholastic well-being than primary school students.•Secondary school students have higher irrational beliefs than primary school students.•Secondary school students have lower self-esteem than primary school students.•Secondary school students are lesser satisfied with academic results.•Secondary school students perceive a lower support from their teachers.