ArticlePLOS mental health2025
The impact of podcast-based interventions on mental health: A systematic scoping review.
Article in PLOS mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Gentle Mind-A Podcast on Self-Compassion and Character Strengths to Enhance Well-Being in University Students: A Controlled Feasibility Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Podcasts are increasingly being used for mental health-related messaging. The objective of this scoping review is to understand how podcasts are being used as a platform for mental health-related interventions ('podcast-based interventions'). Six databases were searched: CENTRAL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Communication and Mass Media Complete, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Journal articles, conference proceedings, and dissertations were eligible for inclusion. Eligible studies included an audio-only podcast-based condition with at least one quantitative mental health-related outcome, including symptoms, treatment or management of mental health issues, mental health literacy or knowledge, and mental illness stigma, prejudice or discrimination, and involved experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Databases were searched for English-language results up to August 4, 2024. Across all searches, there were 2958 records identified, with 2468 screened after removal of duplicates; 20 unique studies met inclusion criteria. Most common podcast intervention types were meditation or mindfulness exercises, comprising eight (40%) of the studies, and psychoeducational or therapeutic content, also comprising eight (40%) studies. Most podcasts were streamed or downloaded online, and interventions ranged 1-28 episodes. Studies typically involved university or general community convenience samples, and median attrition was 42% (IQR = 10-50%). Researchers most studied the impact of podcast-listening on anxiety, reported in 35% of studies, followed by depressive symptoms (30%), stress or psychological distress (25%), body image-related variables (20%), and stigma (20%). There is some evidence supporting the efficacy of podcast-based interventions on various mental health-related outcomes, including improvements in mindfulness, body image, and stigmatising attitudes. Results highlighted the breadth of experimental and quasi-experimental studies involving podcast-based interventions with mental health-related outcomes. These podcasts show promising mental health-related outcomes worthy of further study and refinement. Study generalisability was limited predominantly by self-report data, convenience samples, and high attrition rates.
Identifiers
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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.