SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2022
Meta-Analysis of Psychological Interventions for Reducing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression among University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mental health in university students: an umbrella review grading the evidence for psychosocial interventions.BMJ mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of a 7-week minimal guided and unguided cognitive behavioral therapy-based stress-management APP for students.BMC public health · 2025Trial
- Impacts of the Mindfulness Meditation Mobile App Calm on Undergraduate Students' Sleep and Emotional State: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Effects of a Seven-Week App-Based Passive Psychoeducation Program on Perceived Stress in Nursing Students-A Randomized Controlled Parallel-Group Study.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Article
- Evolving perceptions of treatment helpfulness across mental illnesses in Singapore: 8-year comparison using nationally representative samples.BJPsych open · 2025Article
- Article
- Effects of COVID-19 e-mental health interventions: A systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Internet interventions · 2025Article
- Addiction to ultra-processed foods as a mediator between psychological stress and emotional eating during the COVID-19 pandemic.Psicologia, reflexao e critica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS · 2024Article
- The chain mediating effects of resilience and perceived social support in the relationship between perceived stress and depression in patients with COVID-19.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Psychological Capital and Its Factors as Mediators Between Interpersonal Sensitivity and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Undergraduates.Psychology research and behavior management · 2024Article
- The Use of Photoplethysmography in the Assessment of Mental Health: Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2023Article
- Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to Improve Psychological Adaptation among Future Coaches in the Post-Pandemic Era.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 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
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
(1) Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of internet-based intervention programs for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic by conducting a meta-analysis. (2) Methods: Searches were conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, EbscoHost Academic Search Ultimate, and PsycArticles, using a combination of "Covid-19 AND 'Randomized Controlled Trial' AND students", as well as a combination of the following search terms: "internet", "online", "treat_", "psycholog_", "intervention", "program_", "stress_", "depress_", "anxiety", "university", "college", "freshm_", "sophomore_", and "undergraduat_". The population, intervention, control, outcomes, and study design (PICOS) framework was used (P (population): university students during the COVID-19 pandemic; I (intervention): internet-based intervention programs for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression; C (control): no intervention, usual care, or on a waiting list; O (outcomes): stress, anxiety, and depression indicators; S (study design): meta-analysis including only randomized controlled trials (RCTs)). A meta-analysis was performed on the 10 retrieved studies published between 2021 and 2022. Only RCTs were analyzed. (3) Results: All 10 analyzed papers revealed a trend in the effectiveness of internet-based intervention for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression in university students during COVID-19. Significant effects from the included RCTs with interventions for reducing stress and depression were established. (4) Conclusions: Psychological internet-based interventions may help to reduce depression and stress among university students; however, more research is needed to determine their effectiveness in reducing anxiety.
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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.