Internet interventions for mental health in university students: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

• Published in: International journal of methods in psychiatric research Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. e1759 - n/a
• Main Authors: Harrer, Mathias, Adam, Sophia H., Baumeister, Harald, Cuijpers, Pim, Karyotaki, Eirini, Auerbach, Randy P., Kessler, Ronald C., Bruffaerts, Ronny, Berking, Matthias, Ebert, David D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.06.2019; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Anxiety; college; Eating disorders; Humans; Internet; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mental health; Meta-analysis; psychotherapy; Sleep disorders; Special Issue; Special Issues; Students - psychology; Systematic review; Therapy, Computer-Assisted; Treatment Outcome; Universities; University students; college; meta-analysis; Internet; psychotherapy; mental disorders
• ISSN: 1049-8931; 1557-0657; 1557-0657
• DOI: 10.1002/mpr.1759

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.