Digital interventions to promote psychological resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Societies are exposed to major challenges at an increasing pace. This underscores the need for preventive measures such as resilience promotion that should be available in time and without access barriers. Our systematic review summarizes evidence on digital resilience interventions, which have the potential to meet these demands. We searched five databases for randomized-controlled trials in non-clinical adult populations. Primary outcomes were mental distress, positive mental health, and resilience factors. Multilevel meta-analyses were performed to compare intervention and control groups at post-intervention and follow-up assessments. We identified 101 studies comprising 20,010 participants. Meta-analyses showed small favorable effects on mental distress, SMD = –0.24, 95% CI [–0.31, –0.18], positive mental health, SMD = 0.27, 95% CI [0.13, 0.40], and resilience factors, SMD = 0.31, 95% CI [0.21, 0.41]. Among middle-aged samples, older age was associated with more beneficial effects at follow-up, and effects were smaller for active control groups. Effects were comparable to those of face-to-face interventions and underline the potential of digital resilience interventions to prepare for future challenges.

Evolution of Primary Research Studies in Digital Interventions for Mental Well-Being Promotion from 2004 to 2023: A Bibliometric Analysis of Studies on the Web of Science

“…Furthermore, it coincides with niche themes such as engagement and usability (also associated with feasibility and acceptability) and their associations with a broader range of research designs (e.g., participatory design), which were all in all less frequently represented in the data. This diversification in research methodologies reflects a broader shift towards a more holistic understanding of mental health interventions, recognising the importance of both quantitative outcomes and qualitative insights to address complex psychological phenomena exacerbated by global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ].…”