Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40703853›Full record

ReviewInternet interventions2025

Effectiveness of digital interventions for eight mental disorders: A meta-analytic synthesis.

Mathias Harrer, Clara Miguel, Lingyao Tong, Paula Kuper, Antonia A Sprenger, Yuki Furukawa, Yingying Wang, Wouter van Ballegooijen, Marketa Ciharova, Olga M Panagiotopoulou and 12 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Internet interventions, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Mathias HarrerDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Clara MiguelDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Lingyao TongDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Paula KuperInstitute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research (ISMHSR), Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
Antonia A SprengerInstitute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research (ISMHSR), Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
Yuki FurukawaSection for Evidence-Based Medicine in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Yingying WangDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Wouter van BallegooijenDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Marketa CiharovaDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Olga M PanagiotopoulouDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Ioana CristeaDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.
Jessica L HamblenNational Center for PTSD, White River Junction, VT, USA.
Paula P SchnurrNational Center for PTSD, White River Junction, VT, USA.
Heleen RiperDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Marit SijbrandijDepartment of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Eirini KaryotakiDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Annemieke van StratenDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Toshi A FurukawaKyoto University Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications, Kyoto, Japan.
Davide PapolaWHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Stefan LeuchtSection for Evidence-Based Medicine in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Pim CuijpersDepartment of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Metapsy consortium

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: In this unified series of meta-analyses, we integrate the effects of digital interventions in adults with mental disorders compared to inactive controls. We cover eight indications: depressive disorder, insomnia, specific phobias, generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Methods: Digital intervention trials in patients with a diagnosed mental disorder (confirmed by clinical interviews) were extracted from the Metapsy living databases for psychological treatments. Standardized meta-analyses were conducted to pool effects for each disorder, as well as separately for guided and unguided treatments. We also examined study dropout rates, conducted meta-regression analyses stratified by disorder, and identified treatments that have since become available as prescribable digital therapeutics in routine care. Results: In total, 168 studies (22,144 patients) were included. Moderate effect sizes were observed for PTSD ( Conclusions: Digital interventions can be effective across a wide range of diagnosed mental disorders. For some indications, more high-quality trials and comparisons against care-as-usual are needed to confirm the robustness of the effect, particularly for unguided treatments. Digital interventions are increasingly commercialized as prescribable digital therapeutics. Rising industry involvement may present both opportunities and new challenges for the field.

Indexed as

Mental disordersMeta-analysisMeta-analytic research domainPsychotherapySystematic reviews

Identifiers

PMID40703853
PMCPMC12284662

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.