The relationships between psychological factors, academic fit, well-being, and veterinary students’ academic performance.

Students’ academic achievement is among the main goals of veterinary education. Recent research has indicated that anything affecting the students’ psychology has important effects on their academic performance [1]. Therefore, it is important to study the role of psychological factors in the veterinary students’ learning and academic performance. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Turin, to investigate the relationship between psychological factors (i.e., internal locus of control- the belief of the individuals that the outcomes of events of their life depends on their own actions; and self-efficacy- ones’ beliefs and attitudes toward their own capabilities to achieve success), students’ wellbeing (i.e., engagement and exhaustion) and academic performance (Grade Point Average; GPA). Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Turin Research Ethics Committee. [UOR: SI000045- Classif. III/11]. A non- anonymous self-reported questionnaire (commonly used tool in psychological research) was developed following an extensive review of the literature and with the collaboration of qualified psychologists. Their expertise was used to identify and classify the most meaningful psychological characteristics and other elements indicated in the literature that may hinder the veterinary students’ academic performance. Data was collected by distributing the questionnaire through a Quick response code (QR) and web link through social media platforms. A total of 395 veterinary students responded to the questionnaire; 231 of them completed the entire questionnaire (58.48 % of the total population) and were considered in the analysis. In the sample, 74% were female and 18% were male (8% did not answer to this question). Students aged between 18 and 40 years old (mean = 21.52, SD = 2.37). Analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 28 and Mplus 8. The results of the Structural Equation Model showed a good fit to the data [χ2 = 477.04, df = 290, p < .001, CFI = .91, TLI = .90., RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .06]. The model showed a full mediation of academic fit between internal locus of control and self-efficacy on the one hand, and engagement and exhaustion on the other. Moreover, engagement showed a positive relationship with academic performance (GPA), whereas this association was not significant for exhaustion. All indirect effects were significant. These results indicate that study engagement might be improved by high level of internal locus of control, self-efficacy and academic fit; moreover, higher study engagement corresponds to better academic performance. Limitations of the study include it is cross-sectional design and the use of self-reported data (with the exception of GPA). However, it has highlighted the crucial role of the investigated psychological factors that should be developed in veterinary students through specific interventions, in order to improve their well-being and academic performance.