Brief digital interventions for adults with emerging mental health concerns: a systematic review reporting on socioemotional outcomes

Purpose Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) can offer timely and cost-effective alternatives to traditional in-person interventions. They are effective for addressing common adult mental health difficulties. This paper aims to examine their overall effectiveness as well as the impact of intervention elements (e.g. therapeutic approach, content formats, tailoring) on their effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach This systematic review summarizes current evidence on the short- and long-term effectiveness of brief (one session; ≤3 h in total) DMHIs for adults (≥25 years) with emerging mental health concerns. All digital interventions and therapeutic frameworks were included as long as the intervention was partially or entirely human guided. Searches of published and unpublished literature revealed 13,963 records of which 22 records have been retained. Findings DMHIs showed short-time effects (≤ four weeks post-completion) on depression, anxiety, stress, psychological distress, negative affect and knowledge/skill development. DMHIs are less effective or ineffective for anger management and positive affect. Mixed short-term evidence was found for loneliness and well-being. Sustained benefits (≥ three months post-completion) were noted for depression, loneliness and anxiety. Regarding the impact of DMHI elements, personalization of DMHIs and mindfulness-based approaches demonstrated broad efficacy, while cognitive behavioral therapy approaches enhanced positive and reduced negative affect. Co-designed interventions, solution-focused therapy and anonymity were associated with reduced psychological distress. Incorporating safety/stabilization and action planning were associated with reduced anxiety. Originality/value Results underscore the emerging potential of brief digital interventions to impact adult socioemotional health, particularly when tailored and at least partially facilitated.