ArticleRevista de psiquiatria y salud mental
Digital mental health interventions for anxiety and depressive symptoms in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Article in Revista de psiquiatria y salud mental. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Mental health in university students: an umbrella review grading the evidence for psychosocial interventions.BMJ mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Digital Mental Health Interventions for University Students With Mental Health Difficulties: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Early intervention in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Psychological wellbeing of Italian students and clinical assessment tools at university counseling services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in people with type 1 diabetes: A systematic literature review.Journal of psychosomatic research · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness, Usability, and Satisfaction of a Self-Administered Digital Intervention for Reducing Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in a University Community in the Andean Region of Peru: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Designing Culturally Adapted Digital Mental Health Support Tool for Chinese-Speaking International Students in Australia: A Qualitative Co-design Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Psychological Problems and Academic Motivation in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study One Year after the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2025Article
- A scalable mental health intervention for depressive symptoms: evidence from a randomized controlled trial and large-scale real-world studies.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Advancing Mental Health Care: A Comprehensive Review of Digital Tools and Technologies for Enhancing Diagnosis, Treatment, and Wellness.Health care science · 2025Review
- Digital Mental Health Interventions for Young People Aged 16-25 Years: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Eating disorder debut cases during COVID-19 lockdown in adults. Exploring differences in treatment outcome contrasting with pre-pandemic onset cases.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025Article
- Evolution of Primary Research Studies in Digital Interventions for Mental Well-Being Promotion from 2004 to 2023: A Bibliometric Analysis of Studies on the Web of Science.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- Association of Digital Engagement With Relaxation Tools and Stress Level Reduction: Retrospective Cohort Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- An Escape Game on University Students' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cocreation Study.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- A Novel Casual Video Game With Simple Mental Health and Well-Being Concepts (Match Emoji): Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- Resilience of University Students During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and Results of a Pilot Positive Psychotherapy Intervention Study.Alpha psychiatry · 2024Article
- Understanding University Students' Perspectives towards Digital Tools for Mental Health Support: A Cross-country Study.Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH · 2024Article
- Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Levels among University Students: Three Years from the Beginning of the Pandemic.Clinics and practice · 2023Article
- Mental Health and COVID-19 in University Students: Findings from a Qualitative, Comparative Study in Italy and the UK.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Impact of COVID-19-Related Social Isolation on Behavioral Outcomes in Young Adults Residing in Northern Italy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
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.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.