Open AccessInternet interventions for mental health in university students: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Harrer Mathias,
Adam Sophia H.,
Baumeister Harald,
Cuijpers Pim,
Karyotaki Eirini,
Auerbach Randy P.,
Kessler Ronald C.,
Bruffaerts Ronny,
Berking Matthias,
Ebert David D.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of methods in psychiatric research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.275
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1557-0657
pISSN - 1049-8931
DOI - 10.1002/mpr.1759
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , psycinfo , mental health , anxiety , meta analysis , randomized controlled trial , medline , medicine , systematic review , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , psychology , psychiatry , political science , law , economics , macroeconomics
Objectives Mental health disorders are highly prevalent among university students. Universities could be an optimal setting to provide evidence‐based care through the Internet. As part of the World Mental Health International College Student initiative, this systematic review and meta‐analysis synthesizes data on the efficacy of Internet‐based interventions for university students' mental health. Method A systematic literature search of bibliographical databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO) for randomized trials examining psychological interventions for the mental health (depression, anxiety, stress, sleep problems, and eating disorder symptoms), well‐being, and functioning of university students was performed through April 30, 2018. Results Forty‐eight studies were included. Twenty‐three studies (48%) were rated to have low risk of bias. Small intervention effects were found on depression ( g = 0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI; 0.08, 0.27]), anxiety ( g = 0.27, 95% CI [0.13, 0.40]), and stress ( g = 0.20, 95% CI [0.02, 0.38]). Moderate effects were found on eating disorder symptoms ( g = 0.52, 95% CI [0.22–0.83]) and role functioning ( g = 0.41, 95% CI [0.26, 0.56]). Effects on well‐being were non‐significant ( g = 0.15, 95% CI [−0.20, 0.50]). Heterogeneity was moderate to substantial in many analyses. After adjusting for publication bias, effects on anxiety were not significant anymore. Discussion Internet interventions for university students' mental health can have significant small‐to‐moderate effects on a range of conditions. However, more research is needed to determine student subsets for which Internet‐based interventions are most effective and to explore ways to increase treatment effectiveness.