Table 2.
Summary of findings of digital interventions supporting higher-education students’ mental health.
| Study | Anxiety |
Depression |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results | Effect measures | Results | Effect measures | |
| Cozzolino et al., 2021 | Greater reduction in STAI-Y scores in the EG compared to the CG. | Trait anxiety: η2 = 0.03; p < 0.01 State anxiety: η2 = 0.08; p < 0.001 |
N/A | N/A |
| Datu et al., 2021 | No differences in CAS scores between the EG and the CG. | ηp2 = 0.003; p = 0.88 | N/A | N/A |
| Krifa et al., 2021 | Greater reduction in DASS-21 anxiety scores in the EG compared to the CG. |
d = 0.21; p < 0.001 η2 = 0.02 |
Greater reduction in DASS-21 depression scores in the EG compared to the CG. |
d = 0.29; p < 0.001 η2 = 0.05 |
| Lahtinen et al., 2021 | No differences in GAD-7 scores between the EG and the CG. | N/R | Greater reduction in BDI-21 scores in the EG compared to the CG. |
d = 0.45 in EG vs. d = 0.29 in CG† Post-test: p = 0.11 |
| Liang et al., 2021 | Greater reduction in GAD-7 scores in the EG compared to the CG. | N/R; p < 0.001 | Greater reduction in PHQ-9 scores in the EG compared to the CG. | N/R; p = 0.014 |
| Shabahang et al., 2021 | Greater reductions in CVAQ, SHAI, and ASI-3 scores in the EG compared to the CG. | COVID-19 anxiety: ηp2 = 0.49; p = 0.001 Health anxiety: ηp2 = 0.23; p = 0.001 Anxiety sensitivity: ηp2 = 0.22; p = 0.001 |
N/A | N/A |
| Simonsson et al., 2021 | Greater reduction in PROMIS anxiety scores at the end of the intervention and at the 1-month FU in the EG compared to the CG. | Post-test: d = −0.39; p = 0.025 (FU: d = −0.20†) |
No differences in PROMIS depression scores between the EG and the CG at the end of the intervention period, nor at the 1-month FU. | Post-test: d = −0.26; p = 0.35 (FU: d = –0.06†) |
| Sun et al., 2021 | Greater reduction in GAD-7 scores in the EG compared to the CG. | d = 0.72; p = 0.024 | No differences in PHQ-9 scores between the EG and the CG. | d = 0.36; p = 0.43 |
CG = control group; EG = experimental group; d = Cohen's d; FU = follow-up; p = p-value; N/A = not assessed; N/R = not reported; η2 = eta-squared; ηp2 = partial eta-squared; ASI-3 = Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3; BDI-21 = Beck Depression Inventory-21; CAS = COVID-19 Anxiety Scale; CVAQ = COVID-19 Anxiety Questionnaire; DASS-21 = Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales; GAD-7 = Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; PHQ-9 = Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PROMIS = Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System; SHAI = Short Health Anxiety Inventory; STAI-Y = State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, form Y.
†
p-Value not reported.