Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis

Website-based and computer-delivered interventions could improve common mental health problems experienced by university students, as their help-seeking is limited. This review analysed RCT trials of these interventions to improve depression, anxiety and psychological well-being in university studen...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Davies, E. Bethan, Morriss, Richard K., Glazebrook, Cris
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Published: 2014
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29265/
_version_ 1848793749001338880
author Davies, E. Bethan
Morriss, Richard K.
Glazebrook, Cris
author_facet Davies, E. Bethan
Morriss, Richard K.
Glazebrook, Cris
author_sort Davies, E. Bethan
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Website-based and computer-delivered interventions could improve common mental health problems experienced by university students, as their help-seeking is limited. This review analysed RCT trials of these interventions to improve depression, anxiety and psychological well-being in university students. Studies aimed to trial computer-delivered/website-based interventions to improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychological distress and stress in university students. Seventeen trials of fourteen distinct interventions were identified – nine were CBT-based. Compared to inactive controls, interventions were supported in improving anxiety (SMD-0.56, CI -0.77 - -0.35, P=<.00001); depression (SMD-0.43, CI -0.63 - -0.22, P=<.0001) and stress (SMD-0.73, CI -1.27 - -0.19, P=<.008). In comparison to active controls and comparison interventions, analyses did not support either condition for anxiety or depression (all P=>.05). Website-based and computer-delivered interventions can be effective in improving students’ mental health when compared to inactive controls, but caution is needed when compared to other conditions and methodological issues require consideration.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T19:05:14Z
format Conference or Workshop Item
id nottingham-29265
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T19:05:14Z
publishDate 2014
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-292652024-08-15T15:15:46Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29265/ Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis Davies, E. Bethan Morriss, Richard K. Glazebrook, Cris Website-based and computer-delivered interventions could improve common mental health problems experienced by university students, as their help-seeking is limited. This review analysed RCT trials of these interventions to improve depression, anxiety and psychological well-being in university students. Studies aimed to trial computer-delivered/website-based interventions to improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychological distress and stress in university students. Seventeen trials of fourteen distinct interventions were identified – nine were CBT-based. Compared to inactive controls, interventions were supported in improving anxiety (SMD-0.56, CI -0.77 - -0.35, P=<.00001); depression (SMD-0.43, CI -0.63 - -0.22, P=<.0001) and stress (SMD-0.73, CI -1.27 - -0.19, P=<.008). In comparison to active controls and comparison interventions, analyses did not support either condition for anxiety or depression (all P=>.05). Website-based and computer-delivered interventions can be effective in improving students’ mental health when compared to inactive controls, but caution is needed when compared to other conditions and methodological issues require consideration. 2014-06-06 Conference or Workshop Item NonPeerReviewed Davies, E. Bethan, Morriss, Richard K. and Glazebrook, Cris (2014) Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis. In: eMind Conference, 6 June 2014, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England.
spellingShingle Davies, E. Bethan
Morriss, Richard K.
Glazebrook, Cris
Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis
title Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis
title_full Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis
title_fullStr Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis
title_short Computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis
title_sort computer and website-based interventions to improve common mental health problems in university students: a meta-analysis
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29265/