The Effect of Digital Mental Health Literacy Interventions on Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Accelerated by technological advancements and the recent global pandemic, there is burgeoning interest in digital mental health literacy (DMHL) interventions that can positively affect mental health. However, existing work remains inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of DMHL interventions. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the components and modes of DMHL interventions, their moderating factors, and their long-term impacts on mental health literacy and mental health. Methods: We used a random-effects model to conduct meta-analyses and meta-regressions on moderating effects of DMHL interventions on mental health. Results: Using 144 interventions with 206 effect sizes, we found a moderate effect of DMHL interventions in enhancing distal mental health outcomes (standardized mean difference=0.42, 95% CI −0.10 to 0.73; P