Nosè Michela, Muriago Giulia, Turrini Giulia, Tedeschi Federico, Forlani Olga, Sartori Riccardo, Badino Massimiliano, Barbui Corrado
WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine, and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Piazzale LA Scuro 10, Verona, 37134, Italy, 39 0458124440.
IT and Communications Management, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
J Med Internet Res. 2025 Aug 19;27:e69031. doi: 10.2196/69031.
University students frequently face mental health challenges due to academic pressures, lifestyle changes, and developmental factors. Digital interventions, such as Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM), a psychosocial e-mental health intervention developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), offer scalable approaches to address these issues. These data emerging from the literature provide the framework for the CAMPUS (Characterize and Address Mental health Problems in University Students) study aimed at supporting the mental health of students attending the University of Verona.
This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and implementability of DWM as a psychological strategy for effective mental health prevention and promotion, as well as for reducing psychological symptoms and distress and improving well-being in university students.
During the study period (October 2023-June 2024), we conducted a prospective hybrid type-1 nonrandomized follow-up study, with a pretest-posttest design. The study population consisted of students attending the University of Verona, who were recruited through university communication channels and participated via web-based platforms. Data were collected at baseline (T1) and after the intervention (T2) using an ad hoc sociodemographic information page and self-reported tools assessing psychological distress with the Kessler-10 (K-10), depressive symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression scale, anxiety symptoms with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, and psychological well-being with the WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5). In addition, at postintervention, the implementability was assessed. Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank tests and logistic regression models to identify associated factors.
Out of 2296 interested students, 1498 (65.24%) completed all DWM sessions and assessments. At T1, students exhibited mild psychological distress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms with moderate well-being. Significant improvements were observed postintervention: the K-10 scores decreased from 22.41 (SD 6.54) to 19.86 (SD 5.96), the GAD-7 scale scores decreased from 8.27 (SD 4.31) to 6.57 (SD 3.76), and the PHQ-9 scores decreased from 8.28 (SD 7.73) to 6.75 (SD 4.37; all P<.001). The WHO-5 well-being scores increased from 11.73 (SD 4.65) to 13.26 (SD 4.68; P<.001). Satisfaction was high, with 90.72% (1359/1498) of participants agreeing or strongly agreeing on satisfaction, 77.37% (1159/1498) agreeing or strongly agreeing on appropriateness, and 94.99% (1423/1498) finding the program easy to use. No significant differences in clinical outcomes were associated with sociodemographic or baseline mental health variables.
The DWM intervention demonstrated positive effects on students' mental health, showing reductions in distress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, alongside improved well-being. The program's high levels of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility highlight its potential for broader application as a digital mental health strategy for university students.
由于学业压力、生活方式改变和发育因素，大学生经常面临心理健康挑战。数字干预措施，如世界卫生组织（WHO）开发的心理社会电子心理健康干预措施“压力应对有要事（DWM）”，提供了可扩展的方法来解决这些问题。文献中出现的这些数据为旨在支持维罗纳大学学生心理健康的CAMPUS（表征和解决大学生心理健康问题）研究提供了框架。
本研究旨在评估DWM作为一种心理策略在有效预防和促进大学生心理健康、减轻心理症状和痛苦以及改善幸福感方面的有效性和可实施性。
在研究期间（2023年10月至2024年6月），我们进行了一项前瞻性混合1型非随机随访研究，采用前测-后测设计。研究人群包括维罗纳大学的学生，他们通过大学沟通渠道招募，并通过基于网络的平台参与。在基线（T1）和干预后（T2）使用专门的社会人口学信息页面和自我报告工具收集数据，这些工具使用凯斯勒10项量表（K-10）评估心理痛苦、使用患者健康问卷9项抑郁量表（PHQ-9）评估抑郁症状、使用广泛性焦虑障碍7项量表（GAD-7）评估焦虑症状以及使用世界卫生组织5项幸福感指数（WHO-5）评估心理幸福感。此外，在干预后评估可实施性。统计分析包括威尔科克森配对符号秩检验和逻辑回归模型以确定相关因素。
在2296名感兴趣的学生中，1498名（65.24%）完成了所有DWM课程和评估。在T1时，学生表现出轻度心理痛苦、焦虑和抑郁症状，幸福感中等。干预后观察到显著改善：K-10评分从22.41（标准差6.54）降至19.86（标准差5.96），GAD-7量表评分从8.27（标准差4.31）降至6.57（标准差3.76），PHQ-9评分从8.28（标准差7.73）降至6.75（标准差4.37；所有P<0.001）。WHO-5幸福感评分从11.73（标准差4.65）升至13.26（标准差4.68；P<0.001）。满意度很高，90.72%（1359/1498）的参与者同意或强烈同意满意度，77.37%（1159/1498）同意或强烈同意适宜性，94.99%（1423/1498）认为该项目易于使用。临床结果与社会人口学或基线心理健康变量无显著差异。
DWM干预对学生心理健康产生了积极影响，表现为痛苦、焦虑和抑郁症状减轻，幸福感提高。该项目的高可接受性、适宜性和可行性突出了其作为大学生数字心理健康策略更广泛应用的潜力。
