Efficacy of Digital Mental Health Interventions in Reducing Depression and Anxiety Among Young Adults: a Systematic Review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: BackgroundAmong the young adults, especially those who are depressed and anxious, mental health disorders are very common, but the available resources are scarce because of stigma, cost, and resource limitation.In the alternative, digital mental health interventions (DMHIs), such as web-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT), mobile apps, blended digital, clinician support models, and conversational agents, can have a promising, scalable alternative.The paper is a systematic review that summarizes the evidence on the effectiveness of DMHIs in alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms in young adults of 16-25 years. MethodsThis review was done in accordance with the PRISMA 2020.Seven databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and Cochrane Library) were marked to find out the number of studies published since January 2013 to March 2025.Potential studies were randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies that assessed digital interventions in prevention of depression and/or anxiety among young adults.Extraction was done in terms of intervention type, level of guidance, duration, adherence, effect sizes, and outcome measures.RoB-2 and ROBINS-I were used to assess the risk of bias.Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were used to conduct a narrative and quantitative synthesis based on random-effects modelling. ResultsThere were 38 studies with 11,420 subjects that were eligible.DMHIs yielded a moderate effect on depressive symptoms (pooled SMD = -0.45;95per cent -0.55 -0.35) and a small-to-moderate effect on anxiety symptoms (SMD = -0.38;-048 -0.28).The greatest effects were observed with web-based iCBT and with blended clinician-supported models (SMDs as high as -0.58), although smartphone apps and conversational agents had smaller and still significant EFFICACY OF DIGITAL MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7223363007