This study investigated how young Italian people experienced the period of peak spread of COVID-19 in their country by probing their emotions, thoughts, events, and actions related to interpersonal and community bonds. This approach to the pandemic will highlight social dimensions that characterized contextual interactions from the specific perspective of Community Psychology. The aim was to investigate young people's experiences because they are the most fragile group due to their difficulty staying home and apart from their peers and because they are, at the same time, the most potentially dangerous people due to their urge to gather in groups. The research involved 568 university students, 475 females, and 93 males, with an average age of 21.82 years (SD = 4.836). The collected data were analyzed with the Grounded Theory Methodology, using the Atlas 8.0 software. From the textual data, representative codes were defined and grouped into 10 categories, which reflect the individuals' prosocial attitudes, behaviors, and values. These categories formed three macro-categories, called: “Collective Dimensions,” which includes Connectedness, Solidarity, Italian-ness, Social Problems, and Collective Mourning; “Prosocial Orientation,” which includes Trust and Hope; and “Collective Values,” which includes Values of Freedom, Respect of Social Rules, and Civic-Mindedness. All these macro-categories are indicative of the shared feelings experienced by Italians during the first time of the pandemic. Further practical implications of these results will be discussed, including a consideration of the risk of developing distress and improving well-being, as well as promoting preventive behaviors.

Following an ecological perspective, reactions to a disaster—such as the COVID‐19 pandemic—should be analysed in the interdependence between individual and community dimensions. The present study aims to analyse individual emotional dimensions (anxiety, joy, fear or depressive feelings) and their community dimensions (connectedness, emotional sharing and solidarity) with a longitudinal approach among university students from Italian universities. Participants were 746 university students at t1 (during the lockdown) and 361 at t2 (after the lockdown) recruited in six Italian universities from different areas of Italy. Comparing emotional dimensions in the two times, t2 is characterized by a generalized ambiguity: both happiness or joy because of the end of limitations and a kind of ‘post‐lockdown anxiety’ because of a sense of individual inadequacy in facing the return to normality, conducting daily activities and attending community spaces. Data confirms that after the so‐called ‘honeymoon phase’ in community dimensions (first phase of t1 time), a sort of ‘depressive reaction’ arises at t2: Italian university students seem more aware of the need for individual and social responsibility and that many events are not under their personal control. The reconstruction phase and exit from the emergency are perceived as necessary but also as a difficult and risky period. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement .

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Il contributo ha l'obiettivo di comprendere come la comunita` accademica si sia riorganizza-ta in tempo di COVID-19, muovendosi tra difficolta` e soluzioni innovative, poste dalla didatti-ca a distanza. Nello specifico, mediante una metodologia di ricerca mista quali-quantitativa, si analizzano le esperienze di 40 docenti dell'Università di Palermo che a livello emozionale, co-gnitivo e situazionale hanno fronteggiato il cambiamento, riorganizzando le proprie scelte di-dattiche. Vengono inoltre analizzati i fattori ritenuti centrali per l'efficacia didattica e la flessibilità della propria visione del mondo. I risultati confermano l'importanza degli aspetti relazionali nella didattica - anche quando a distanza - e la connotazione "comunitaria" della risposta che l'Università ha saputo mettere in campo.

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