Davies, E.B., Morriss, R., & Glazebrook, C. (2014). Computer-delivered and web-based interventions to improve depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being of university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 16(5), e130. PMCID: PMC4051748.
To determine the effectiveness of computer-delivered and web-based interventions for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in college students, the authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nineteen articles were included in the meta-analysis. All articles compared a computer or web-based program to either an inactive control (e.g. waitlist, no treatment), an active control (e.g. attention control), or a comparison intervention (e.g. an in-person intervention). Computer-delivered and web-based programs were effective in decreasing depression, anxiety, and stress when the control condition was an inactive control. Computer-delivered and web-based programs had equivalent effects when compared to active controls or comparison interventions. These results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of computerized treatments for anxiety and depression in college student, and emphasize the importance of choosing control conditions when designing studies.