Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: an umbrella review

Harith, Sophia; Backhaus, Insa; Mohbin, Najihah; Ngo, Huyen; Khoo, Selina

doi:10.7717/peerj.13111

Cited by 30 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Awareness around recognizing and managing cognitive health concerns is comparatively lacking, and implicates a need for further promotion, particularly in vulnerable subgroups such as students. Pandemic control measures such as physical distancing and social isolation have only further emphasized the utility of digital technology-based tools and interventions for health and wellbeing among the general population, in addition to specific cohorts such as university students ( Harith et al, 2022 ), individuals with dementia ( Bird and Lim, 2022 ), and rural, regional, and remote communities ( O’Kane, 2020 ). Such resources (e.g., audio-visual telehealth platforms, smartphone applications, web-based forums or groups) are useful in connecting individuals to information, self-help strategies, health professionals, or peers, during periods of lockdown or restricted access.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and correlates of subjective cognitive concerns in Australian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2023

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IntroductionCoronavirus (COVID-19) instigated unprecedented global effects on healthcare systems, economies, employment, education, travel, and social lives. In addition to increased mental health challenges, pandemic restrictions have triggered emerging cognitive concerns. University students are at particularly high risk of adverse lockdown-related effects, yet despite the substantial adaptions to learning necessitated by COVID-19, limited research has so far focused on the cognitive consequences of the pandemic among university students. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the nature, prevalence, and correlates of subjective cognitive concerns among 972 students (Median age = 22 years, 70% female) enrolled at Monash University, Australia, in December 2020.MethodsStudents completed the online THRIVE@Monash survey, 5 weeks following prolonged lockdown in Melbourne. Using group comparisons and hierarchical binary logistic regression analyses, we examined associations between demographic and enrolment characteristics, COVID-19-related experiences and impacts (author-developed questions), self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms (PROMIS Anxiety and Depression scales), and students’ perceived changes in everyday cognitive functions (author-developed questions).ResultsOver 60% of students reported subjective cognitive concerns (SCCs). After controlling for anxiety and depression symptoms, students reporting more SCCs were more likely to be younger, from White/European ethnic backgrounds, and in their first year of undergraduate study. No differences in SCCs were found between male and female students. Greater worry, anxiety, or stress related to COVID-19 (e.g., infection, leaving the house, hygiene and exposure prevention, impact on physical and mental health), and time spent reading or talking about COVID-19, were generally not associated with SCCs after controlling for anxiety and depression symptoms.DiscussionThese findings highlight vulnerable subgroups of students who might benefit from regular monitoring, education, and interventions to support their cognitive health during the pandemic and beyond. In addition, cognitive concerns may provide additional insight into mental health problems among students, and emphasize the importance of understanding factors that impact students’ long-term academic and career success.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and correlates of subjective cognitive concerns in Australian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2023

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“…Hovewer, due to the variation in study settings and inconsistencies in reporting, effectiveness is greatly dependent on the delivery format, targeted mental health problem and targeted purpose group. A study on digital mental health [36], synthesized evidence on digital health interventions targeting university students to evaluate their effectiveness. The results indicated that web-based online/computer delivered-interventions were effective or at least partially effective at decreasing depression, anxiety, stress and eating disorder symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-related behavioral changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A comparison between cohorts of French and Italian university students

Matteucci,

Corsi,

Hurdiel

et al. 2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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This cross-sectional observational study compares the health behaviors of university students in France and Italy, examining how their choices and lifestyles were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of contributing to the development of adequate public health and higher education institutions interventions. The French cohort was investigated between January and February 2022, while the Italian cohort was examined between March and April 2022. In both contexts, data were collected through web surveys using institutional directories of university degree programs. Data were collected using standardized tools, validated and recovered in full or partial form. The tool used consisted of three specific sections (general experience, eating habits, physical activity), to which a fourth, dedicated to describing the sociographic picture of the respondents, was added. It was found that the pandemic mainly affected the mental health and sense of well-being of young people in both countries. The pandemic altered dietary habits (41.8% of the French subjects and 38.3% of the Italians declared an increasing of their food intake), alcohol consumption (9.0% of the Italian respondents and 4.0% of the French respondents reported an increased alcohol consumption), propensity to smoke (among the French 85.3% subjects remained non-smokers versus 65.3% of the Italian subjects), sleep quality (25.7% of Italian students 16.6% of French students experienced a decline in the quality of their sleep), and physical activity levels (the percentage of physically active French subjects rose to 72.4%, whereas among Italian students, it dropped to 68,4%). The results emphasize the need for the implementation of relational and psychological interventions, even digital, to face the consequences of social isolation and negative changes in everyday behaviors due to the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…Female students want communication that is more straightforward and contains more targeted and specific information, written in simple, clear language and requiring them to act (Sutton, 2017), like the communication present on social networks (Sheeran and Cummings, 2018). Yet, these social platforms are not specifically designated for academic sharing (Harith et al, 2022) and they do not provide a way to distinguish the educational context from the students' personal life (Waycott et al, 2010). This finding highlights the need for universities to promote and mentor the use of centralized information platforms for students dedicated exclusively to the academic context (Harith et al, 2022).…”

Section: Coping Strategies Used By the Female Students In The Academi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring female students' perceptions of the use of digital technologies in managing academic stress

Lukenga,

Billonnet,

Gaugue

et al. 2023

Front. Psychol.

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ObjectiveThe purpose of this research is to explore the perceptions of female students regarding the implementation of digital technologies for academic stress management. We aim to determine if the contribution of these technologies could offer to female students a better management of the stress related to their studies and thus, a better deployment of strategies to cope with academic difficulties.MethodA qualitative study using the focus group methodology was conducted. Our inductive and exploratory approach allowed us to focus on the experience and perception of eleven female students from the University of Mons. The cohort was divided into two groups according to their score on the Perceived Stress Scale-10.ResultsThe data collected was analyzed using the thematic analysis of which allowed us to identify fourteen sub-themes divided into three axes: coping strategies used to manage academic stress, students' needs to improve their management of academic stress, and the implementation of technology for managing academic stress.ConclusionOur results show that the issues present in the academic context lead students to use various coping strategies, some of which are harmful to their physical and mental health. The implementation of digital technologies and biofeedback seems to be an approach that could help students adopt more functional coping strategies and alleviate their daily difficulties in managing academic stress.

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Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: an umbrella review

Cited by 30 publications

References 40 publications

Prevalence and correlates of subjective cognitive concerns in Australian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Prevalence and correlates of subjective cognitive concerns in Australian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Health-related behavioral changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A comparison between cohorts of French and Italian university students

Exploring female students' perceptions of the use of digital technologies in managing academic stress

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