Guidance and Counseling in Higher Education: The Role of the Lifeline in the Personal Development of First-Year Students

Abstract This study examines the narrative identities of first-year university students through the lifeline technique and investigates how these autobiographical accounts reflect indicators of emotional and mental distress. A mixed-methods design was applied to 233 lifelines to quantify five indicators of emotional and mental distress: loneliness, sadness or depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, bullying, and other psychological difficulties. Quantitative analyses identified exploratory differences in the distribution of indicators across academic programs and cohorts, suggesting potential patterns of psychosocial vulnerability shaped by developmental history, disciplinary environments, and post-pandemic contextual conditions. Reflexive thematic analysis demonstrated that levels of narrative coherence and self-awareness were strongly associated with adaptive meaning-making processes, supporting theoretical links between narrative integration, self-regulation, and subjective quality of life. A central contribution of this work is the delineation of an integrated reflective model combining the lifeline with the personal development project (PDP). The four reflective steps of the PDP, which involve clarifying identity, determining actions, defining future goals, and planning pathways, interact dynamically with the autobiographical reconstruction facilitated by the lifeline. Together, they create a cyclical reflective process that promotes well-being, agency, and intentional life planning. The findings highlight the value of narrative-based assessment for early identification of psychosocial needs and for strengthening mentoring practices in higher education.