The Benefit of Web- and Computer-Based Interventions for Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

Authors

Background: Stress has been identified as one of the major public health issues in this century. New technologies offer opportunities to provide effective psychological interventions on a large scale.
Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of Web- and computer-based stress-management interventions in adults relative to a control group.
Methods: A meta-analysis was performed, including 26 comparisons (n=4226). Cohen d was calculated for the primary outcome level of stress to determine the difference between the intervention and control groups at posttest. Analyses of the effect on depression, anxiety, and stress in the following subgroups were also conducted: risk of bias, theoretical basis, guidance, and length of the intervention. Available follow-up data (1-3 months, 4-6 months) were assessed for the primary outcome stress.
Results: The overall mean effect size for stress at posttest was Cohen d=0.43 (95% CI 0.31-0.54). Significant, small effects were found for depression (Cohen d=0.34, 95% CI 0.21-0.48) and anxiety (Cohen d=0.32, 95% CI 0.17-0.47). Subgroup analyses revealed that guided interventions (Cohen d=0.64, 95% CI 0.50-0.79) were more effective than unguided interventions (Cohen d=0.33, 95% CI 0.20-0.46; P=.002). With regard to the length of the intervention, short interventions (≤4 weeks) showed a small effect size (Cohen d=0.33, 95% CI 0.22-0.44) and medium-long interventions (5-8 weeks) were moderately effective (Cohen d=0.59; 95% CI 0.45-0.74), whereas long interventions (≥9 weeks) produced a nonsignificant effect (Cohen d=0.21, 95% CI –0.05 to 0.47; P=.006). In terms of treatment type, interventions based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and third-wave CBT (TWC) showed small-to-moderate effect sizes (CBT: Cohen d=0.40, 95% CI 0.19-0.61; TWC: Cohen d=0.53, 95% CI 0.35-0.71), and alternative interventions produced a small effect size (Cohen d=0.24, 95% CI 0.12-0.36; P=.03). Early evidence on follow-up data indicates that Web- and computer-based stress-management interventions can sustain their effects in terms of stress reduction in a small-to-moderate range up to 6 months.
Conclusions: These results provide evidence that Web- and computer-based stress-management interventions can be effective and have the potential to reduce stress-related mental health problems on a large scale.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere32
JournalJournal of Medical Internet Research
Volume19
Issue number2
Number of pages17
ISSN1439-4456
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17.02.2017

    Research areas

  • Psychology - stress, internet-based intervention, review, randomized
  • Health sciences - mental health, controlled trial, meta-analysis

Documents

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Passive Rotation of Rotational Joints and Its Computation Method
  2. Dynamic priority based dispatching of AGVs in flexible job shops
  3. In-Vehicle Sensor System for Monitoring Efficiency of Vehicle E/E Architectures
  4. Complexity and Administrative Intensity
  5. Combined MRI-PET dissects dynamic changes in plant structures and functions
  6. Analysis of the construction of an autonomous robot to improve its energy efficiency when traveling through irregular terrain
  7. Outperformed by a Computer? - Comparing Human Decisions to Reinforcement Learning Agents, Assigning Lot Sizes in a Learning Factory
  8. Towards Advanced Learning in Dispatching Rule-Based Scheuling
  9. Hybrid modelling by machine learning corrections of analytical model predictions towards high-fidelity simulation solutions
  10. Biodegradation screening of chemicals in an artificial matrix simulating the water-sediment interface
  11. The role of task complexity, modality and aptitude in narrative task performance
  12. The Framework for Inclusive Science Education
  13. Magnesium-based metal matrix nanocomposites—processing and properties
  14. Design of Reliable Remobilisation Finger Implants with Geometry Elements of a Triple Periodic Minimal Surface Structure via Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Nitride
  15. Explicit references in chat-based CSCL
  16. Effect of yttrium addition on lattice parameter, Young's modulus and vacancy of magnesium
  17. "And I Think That Is a Very Straightforward Way of Dealing With It''
  18. Introduction: The representative turn in EU Studies
  19. Polynomial Augmented Extended Kalman Filter to Estimate the State of Charge of Lithium-Ion Batteries
  20. CubeQA—question answering on RDF data cubes
  21. Comparison of Software Tools for Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Data Processing in Nontarget Screening of Environmental Samples
  22. Control system strategy of a modular omnidirectional AGV
  23. HR practices and ambidexterity in small- and medium-sized consulting firms: An exploratory multi-case study
  24. A geometric approach to the decoupling control and to speed up the dynamics of a general rigid body manipulation system
  25. Experimental investigation of the fluid-structure interaction during deep drawing of fiber metal laminates in the in-situ hybridization process
  26. Can guided introspection help avoid rationalization of meat consumption?
  27. Machine Learning and Data Mining for Sports Analytics
  28. Finite element based determination and optimization of seam weld positions in porthole die extrusion of double hollow profile with asymmetric cross section
  29. Employing A-B tests for optimizing prices levels in e-commerce applications
  30. Hermann Stutte