Online group interventions for mental health promotion of college students: Integrative review

ABSTRACT

This study aims to describe which group interventions have been performed on the online platform for the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental health difficulties in college students. An integrative review was performed in the databases/libraries of Lilacs, PubMed, Embase, Cinahl, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science, identifying 13 articles published between the years 2019 and 2021. Of these, 12 studies are quantitative and one presented a mixed method. As for the level of evidence, eight are randomised clinical trials (level of evidence II), three quasi‐experimental studies (level of evidence III), and two are cohort or case–control studies (level of evidence IV). The results suggest that online interventions are effective in helping the mental health of college students during social isolation, as experienced due to the pandemic, and in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. All the identified group intervention methods showed satisfactory and promising results for this population.