RT Journal Article
T1 Effectiveness of digital psychological and psychoeducational interventions to prevent anxiety: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
A1 García-Huércano, Cristina
A1 Conejo-Cerón, Sonia
A1 Martínez-Vispo, Carmela
A1 Bellón-Saameño, Juan Ángel
A1 Rodríguez-Morejón, Alberto
A1 Tamayo-Morales, Olaya
A1 Moreno-Peral, Patricia
K1 Angustia
K1 Salud mental
K1 Prevención
AB The high incidence of new cases of anxiety disorders highlights the need for scalable preventiveinterventions, which can be achieved through information and communication technologies. Toour knowledge, no meta-analysis has been conducted to evaluate purely digital preventiveinterventions for anxiety in all types of populations. The aim of this study was to assess theeffectiveness of digital interventions for the prevention of anxiety disorders. Systematic searcheswere conducted in six electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Web of Science,OpenGrey, and CENTRAL) from inception to December 12, 2024. Inclusion criteria for thestudies were as follows: (1) randomized controlled trials (RCTs), (2) psychological or psychoeducational digital interventions to prevent anxiety, and (3) all types of populations withoutanxiety at baseline of the study. A total of 15 studies (19 comparisons; 6093 participants) wereincluded in the systematic review. One study was identified as an outlier and was thereforeexcluded from the meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed a small effect in favor of preventiveinterventions among non-anxious and varied populations (standardized mean difference = 0.32, 95% confidence interval:  0.44 to  0.20; p < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses supported therobustness of this finding. We found no evidence of publication bias. Heterogeneity was high,however, a meta-regression that included one variable (country, the Netherlands) explained100% of the variance. All RCTs, except two, had a high risk of bias, and the quality of theevidence, according to Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation, was very low. There is a need to develop and evaluate new digital preventive interventionswith a rigorous methodology.
PB Cambridge University Press
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/40937
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/40937
LA eng
NO García-Huércano, C., ConejoCerón, S., Martínez-Vispo, C., Bellón, J.Á., Rodríguez-Morejón, A., Tamayo-Morales, O., & Moreno-Peral, P. (2025). Effectiveness of digital psychological and psychoeducational interventions to prevent anxiety: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychological Medicine, 55, e345, 1–15 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291725102262
NO Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga/CBUA
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 20 ene 2026