Association between a multi-component web-based mental health intervention and clinical outcomes in patients with psychological disorders: a historical controlled study

Objective To evaluate the association between a multi-component web-based mental health intervention and clinical outcomes in patients with psychological disorders through a historical controlled study. Methods This historical controlled study included 483 patients diagnosed with psychological disorders who received interventions at our hospital between August 2022 and October 2024. Patients were divided into a control group (CG, n = 238, treated from August 2022 to June 2023 using conventional paper-based assessments) and a study group (SG, n = 245, treated from July 2023 to October 2024 with multi-component web-based mental health intervention). Both groups received standardized treatment according to clinical practice guidelines, with the primary difference being the assessment modality. The web-based system enabled remote completion of standardized assessments and provided real-time data visualization for clinicians. Assessment indicators included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Follow-up assessments were conducted at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-intervention. Results Baseline characteristics including gender distribution, mean age, mean BMI, and types of psychological disorders were comparable between groups ( p > 0.05). At 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups, the study group demonstrated significantly lower PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSQI scores compared to the control group ( p < 0.05). At 6 months post-intervention, the study group exhibited higher scores across all SF-36 dimensions (physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health) compared to the control group ( p < 0.05), with a total score of 74.53 ± 9.94, significantly higher than the control group’s 63.70 ± 9.89 ( t = 11.997, p < 0.001). Additionally, at 6 months post-intervention, the study group had significantly lower SDSS scores and higher WHOQOL-BREF scores than the control group ( p < 0.05). Conclusion This historical controlled study observed an association between a multi-component web-based mental health intervention and improvements in depression, anxiety, sleep symptoms, quality of life, and social functioning. Given the historical design and pandemic-related temporal confounding, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating.