Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan-Mar:16:47-58.
doi: 10.1016/j.rpsm.2022.04.005. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Digital mental health interventions for anxiety and depressive symptoms in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Ilaria Riboldi  1 , Daniele Cavaleri  1 , Angela Calabrese  1 , Chiara Alessandra Capogrosso  1 , Susanna Piacenti  1 , Francesco Bartoli  1 , Cristina Crocamo  1 , Giuseppe Carrà  1   2
Affiliations

Digital mental health interventions for anxiety and depressive symptoms in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Ilaria Riboldi et al. Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment. 2023 Jan-Mar.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

University students are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues, with anxiety and depression identified as the most common conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, self-isolation, and difficulties linked to online teaching and learning have increased their burden of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Thus, the urgent need to intervene in favour of these vulnerable subjects, together with the difficulties in delivering in-person interventions because of lockdowns and restrictions, has led to prioritize digital mental health strategies. This study aimed at systematically reviewing the existing literature on digital mental health interventions targeting anxiety and depressive symptoms in university students during the COVID-19 emergency. Systematic searches of Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo databases identified eight randomized controlled trials. Regarding anxiety symptoms, digitally delivered cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, and mind-body practice techniques emerged as valid strategies, while digital positive psychology and mindfulness-based interventions showed mixed results. On the other hand, digitally delivered dialectical behaviour therapy and positive psychology interventions have shown some efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms. Overall, the available literature, albeit of low quality, seems to support the role of digital interventions in promoting the mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Los estudiantes universitarios son particularmente vulnerables a los problemas de salud mental, siendo la ansiedad y la depresión las condiciones más comunes. Durante la pandemia de COVID-19, el distanciamiento social, el autoaislamiento y las dificultades relacionadas con la enseñanza y el aprendizaje en línea han aumentado su carga de ansiedad y síntomas depresivos. Así, la urgente necesidad de intervenir a favor de estos sujetos vulnerables, junto con las dificultades para realizar intervenciones presenciales a causa de los confinamientos y restricciones, ha llevado a priorizar estrategias de salud mental digital. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo revisar sistemáticamente la literatura existente sobre intervenciones digitales de salud mental dirigidas a la ansiedad y los síntomas depresivos en estudiantes universitarios durante la emergencia de COVID-19. Las búsquedas sistemáticas en las bases de datos Medline, Embase y PsycInfo identificaron ocho ensayos controlados aleatorios. Con respecto a los síntomas de ansiedad, la terapia cognitiva conductual, la terapia conductual dialéctica y las técnicas de práctica mente-cuerpo entregadas digitalmente surgieron como estrategias válidas, mientras que la psicología positiva digital y las intervenciones basadas en el mindfulness mostraron resultados mixtos. Por otro lado, la terapia conductual dialéctica y las intervenciones de psicología positiva proporcionadas digitalmente han demostrado cierta eficacia en la reducción de los síntomas depresivos. En general, la literatura disponible, aunque de baja calidad, parece respaldar el papel de las intervenciones digitales en la promoción de la salud mental de los estudiantes universitarios durante la pandemia de COVID-19.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Depression; Digital mental health interventions; Mental health; University students.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the systematic review according to PRISMA criteria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pedrelli P., Nyer M., Yeung A., Zulauf C., Wilens T. College students: mental health problems and treatment considerations. Acad Psychiatry. 2015;39:503–511. doi: 10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Briggs A.R.J., Clark J., Hall I. Building bridges: understanding student transition to university. Qual High Educ. 2012;18:3–21. doi: 10.1080/13538322.2011.614468. - DOI
    1. Auerbach R.P., Alonso J., Axinn W.G., Cuijpers P., Ebert D.D., Green J.G., et al. Mental disorders among college students in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. Psychol Med. 2016;46:1–16. doi: 10.1017/S0033291716001665. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Auerbach R.P., Mortier P., Bruffaerts R., Alonso J., Benjet C., Cuijpers P., et al. WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project: prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. J Abnorm Psychol. 2018;127:623–638. doi: 10.1037/abn0000362. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jenkins P.E., Ducker I., Gooding R., James M., Rutter-Eley E. Anxiety and depression in a sample of UK college students: a study of prevalence, comorbidity, and quality of life. J Am Coll Health. 2021;69:813–819. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1709474. - DOI - PubMed