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. 2024 Jan-Mar;24(1):100431.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100431. Epub 2024 Jan 12.

Interventions for psychiatric disorders among university students: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Huan Huang  1 , Shaofen Huang  2 , Shiyun Chen  3 , Xuping Gao  3   4 , Jun Cai  3 , Yonghui Feng  3 , Jiazi Liu  3 , Xin Su  3 , Jiamin Qiu  3 , Shiwen Zhang  3 , Ying Xu  5 , Zheng Liu  5 , Ting Wang  6 , Fangfang Zeng  3
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Interventions for psychiatric disorders among university students: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Huan Huang et al. Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2024 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Background: Mental disorders are considered to be the main reason for the increase of the disease burden. College students seem to be more vulnerable to the adverse effects of stress, which makes them more at risk of suffering from mental disorders. This umbrella review aimed to evaluate the credibility of published evidence regarding the effects of interventions on mental disorders among university students.

Methods: To identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigating the effects of interventions on mental disorders in the university student population, extensive searches were carried out in databases including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database, spanning from inception to July 21, 2023. Subsequently, a thorough reanalysis of crucial parameters such as summary effect estimates, 95 % confidence intervals, heterogeneity I2 statistic, 95 % prediction intervals, small-study effects, and excess significance bias was performed for each meta-analysis found.

Results: Nineteen articles involving 74 meta-analyses were included. Our grading of the current evidence showed that interventions based on exercise, Cognitive-behavioural Intervention (CBI), mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), and other interventions like mood and anxiety interventions (MAI) were effective whereas exercise intervention had the highest effect size for both depression and anxiety among university students. However, the credibility of the evidence was weak for most studies. Besides, suggestive evidence was observed for the positive effects of CBI on sleep disturbance(SMD: -0.603, 95 % CI: -0.916, -0.290; P-random effects<0.01) and MAI on anxiety (Hedges'g = -0.198, 95 % CI: -0.302, -0.094; P-random effects<0.01).

Conclusion: Based on our findings, it appears that exercise interventions, CBI, and MAI have the potential to alleviate symptoms related to mental disorders. Despite the overall weak credibility of the evidence and the strength of the associations, these interventions offer a promising avenue for further exploration and research in the future. More high-quality randomized controlled trials should be taken into account to verify the effects of these interventions on various mental disorders.

Keywords: Cognitive behavioural interventions; Exercise interventions; Mental disorders; Meta-analysis; Umbrella review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

FIG 1
Fig. 1
Study selection profile.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Efficacy of interventions for psychiatric disorders among university students with evidence grading. Note: Small study bias is considered positive if the p-value in Egger's test is less than 0.10. Excess significance bias is considered positive if the number of significant studies is greater than the expected number of significant studies (O>E) (based on the largest study with the smallest SE) and the p-value is less than 0.10. Abbreviations: MBCT mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, CBT-I cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.
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