SynthesisJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2026
Self-administered single-session interventions for mental health in young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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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
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Leveraging machine learning to personalize depression treatment: A pre-registered study of 828 adults randomized to a digital single-session intervention or waitlist.Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science · 2026Article
- Identifying the active ingredients of a behavioral activation-based digital single-session intervention targeting depression.Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science · 2026Article
- Immediate Effects and Experiences of a Digital Single-Session Behavioural Activation Based Intervention for Adolescents: A Single Arm Pre-post Programme Evaluation of Project ABC in the UK.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Randomized trial of a single-session digital intervention targeting emotion-related beliefs and emotion regulation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Exploring the use of single session interventions in child and adolescent mental health services in England: a freedom of information-based study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- A Crowdsourced Megastudy of 12 Digital Single-Session Interventions for Depression in American Adults.Research square · 2025Article
- Investigating Project Care UK, a Web-Based Self-Help Single-Session Intervention for Youth Mental Health: Program Evaluation.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildren and young people's mental health is an area of concern worldwide. In the face of barriers such as long waits to access evidence-based treatment, perceived stigma, and a desire to tackle challenges independently, self-administered single-session interventions (SSIs) have arisen as one potential solution. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to synthesise evidence of the efficacy of self-administered SSIs for youth mental health.
methodsThis random-effects meta-analytic review was preregistered on PROSPERO (CRD42023457030). Systematic search of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from the Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsychINFO databases was conducted.
resultsFollowing screening, 25 RCTs met eligibility criteria (5,628 participants), 19 of which were meta-analysed. Most of the included studies exhibited either 'Low Risk' or 'Some Concerns', with several of them having a 'High Risk' of bias. We found a small effect for anxiety symptoms (g = -0.24, 95% CI [-0.41, -0.07]) with substantial heterogeneity (I
conclusionsThe findings suggest that self-administered SSIs may be efficacious in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in young people. Although the evidence has limitations, including a small number of studies and diverse clinical and statistical characteristics, these findings indicate the need for further exploration of SSIs to address the treatment gap in child and adolescent mental health care.
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