Effects of digital health interventions on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in colorectal cancer patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients generally experience distressing psychological symptoms, including anxiety and depression, which significantly diminish their quality of life. Digital health interventions have emerged as a promising complementary approach to managing these challenges. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials aimed to determine the effects of digital health interventions on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in CRC patients. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted across ten databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CNKI, VIP, WanFang, and CBM) from inception to February 28, 2026. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of digital health interventions on anxiety, depression, and quality of life among CRC patients were eligible for inclusion. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2.0 (ROB 2.0) was employed to assess methodological quality, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework was applied to grade the certainty of evidence for each outcome. A random-effects model was used for all quantitative syntheses. Results A total of 15 randomized controlled trials comprising 2018 CRC patients were included. Pooled analyses revealed that digital health interventions were associated with a potential reduction in anxiety (SMD = -0.90, 95% CI: -1.59 to -0.22, I² = 93%, low certainty evidence) and depression (SMD = -0.93, 95% CI: -1.64 to -0.21, I² = 94%, low certainty evidence), and improvement in quality of life (SMD = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.19 to 1.36, I² = 96%, low certainty evidence) compared to control conditions. Conclusions Our findings revealed that digital health interventions hold promise in reducing anxiety and depression and enhancing quality of life among CRC patients. Given the limitations posed by substantial heterogeneity and low evidence certainty, high-quality randomized controlled trials are required to establish more definitive conclusions.