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  • Michela N, Giulia M, Giulia T, Federico T, Olga F, Riccardo S, Massimiliano B, Corrado B
  • Effectiveness of a Self-Guided Digital Intervention for Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being in University Students: Pre- and Postintervention Study
  • Journal of Medical Internet Research
  • DOI: 10.2196/11848
  • PMID: 30303485
  • PMCID: 6352016
Preprints Accepted Manuscript

Effectiveness of a Self-Guided Digital Intervention for Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being in University Students: Pre- and Postintervention Study

Abstract

background

University students frequently face mental health challenges due to academic pressures, lifestyle changes, and developmental factors. Digital interventions, such as Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM), a psychosocial e-mental health intervention developed by World Health Organization, offer scalable approaches to address these issues. These data emerging from the international literature provide the framework for the CAMPUS study aimed at support the mental health well-being of students attending the University of Verona.

objective

This study aims to assess the effectiveness and implementability of self-guided DWM as a psychological strategy for effective mental health prevention and promotion, and for reducing psychological symptoms and distress and improving wellbeing in university students.

methods

During the study period (October 2023-June 2024), we conducted a prospective hybrid type-1 non-randomized follow-up study, with a pre-post design. The study population consisted of students attending the University of Verona, recruited through university communication channels and participated via online platforms. Data were collected at baseline (T1), before gaining access to the DWM intervention, and post-intervention (T2), one week after the end of the intervention, using an ad-hoc sociodemographic information page and self-reported tools assessing psychological distress as measured with the Kessler-10 (K-10), depressive symptoms as measured with the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9), anxiety symptoms with the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and psychological well-being with the WHO-5 Wellbeing Index (WHO-5). In addition, at post-intervention, the implementability was assessed using the adapted versions of the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), the Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM), and the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM). Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank tests and logistic regression models to identify associated factors.

results

Out of 2.296 interested students, 1.498 completed all DWM sessions and assessments. At T1, students exhibited mild psychological distress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms with moderate well-being. Significant improvements were observed post-intervention: K-10 scores decreased from 22.41 (SD = 6.54) to 19.86 (SD = 5.96), GAD-7 scores from 8.27 (SD = 4.31) to 6.57 (SD = 3.76), and PHQ-9 scores from 8.28 (SD = 7.73) to 6.75 (SD = 4.37) (all P<.001). WHO-5 well-being scores increased from 11.73 (SD = 4.65) to 13.26 (SD = 4.68) (P<.001). Satisfaction was high, with 90% of participants agreeing or strongly agreeing on satisfaction, 77.4% on appropriateness, and 95% finding the program easy to use. No significant differences in clinical outcomes were associated with sociodemographic or baseline mental health variables.

conclusions

The DWM intervention demonstrated significant positive effects on students' mental health, showing reductions in distress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, alongside improved well-being. The program's high levels of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility highlight its potential for broader application as a digital mental health strategy for university students.

clinicalTrial

Open Sciences Framework https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KYV9F

As per the author’s request the PDF is not available.
Copyright

© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it’s website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.

Citation

Please cite as:

Michela N, Giulia M, Giulia T, Federico T, Olga F, Riccardo S, Massimiliano B, Corrado B

Effectiveness of a Self-Guided Digital Intervention for Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being in University Students: Pre- and Postintervention Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research

DOI: 10.2196/14886

URL: https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/11848

PMID: 31789598

PMCID: 6352016

Effectiveness of a Self-Guided Digital Intervention for Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being in University Students: Pre- and Postintervention Study

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