Research project

Overview

Brief digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer a promising way to improve mental healthcare access. However, to realise the full potential of such interventions, the critical elements and components underlying their effectiveness must be identified. In partnership with Beyond Blue, we conducted two rapid systematic reviews on the effectiveness of brief DMHIs (e.g., phone, web-based support) for youth (12 – 25 years) and adults (≥25 years) experiencing mild-to-moderate mental health concerns.

Specifically, these reviews synthesised the critical elements (e.g., tailored content, homework, motivational interviewing, CBT approaches) of brief DMHIs (e.g., single session models) that are associated with positive intervention outcomes, including socioemotional outcomes (e.g., decreased anxiety or stress), and user experience outcomes (e.g., usability, usefulness). The findings to date have been directly embedded into Beyond Blue’s revised 2024 Support Services Model of Care. The findings also offer meaningful practice implications for the sector more broadly and identify important considerations for the development, implementation, and evaluation of future DMHIs.

Key research highlights

User experience and socioemotional outcomes: Both socioemotional and user experience outcomes collectively contribute to the overall effectiveness of DMHIs. For example, if potential users are discouraged from engaging in an intervention due to accessibility problems, the intervention's potential socioemotional benefits (e.g., decreased anxiety) are less likely to occur.

Multimedia: Both young people and adults valued and responded positively to content delivered through different forms (i.e., videos, audios, text-based written material, practice tools, and exercises).

Personalisation: Personalised interventions were associated with effective outcomes in both youth and adults, suggesting that users want to be recognised as unique with specific needs.

Co-developed interventions: Both reviews highlighted the importance of co-developing interventions with end-users to ensure they are developmentally appropriate and meeting individual needs.

Research Outputs

1. Opie, J. E., Vuong, A., Welsh, E. T., Gray, R., Pearce, N., Marchionda, S., Mutch, R., & Khalil, H. (2024). Outcomes of best-practice guided digital mental health interventions for youth and young adults with emerging symptoms: Part I. A Systematic review of socioemotional outcomes and recommendations. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 27, 424–475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-024-00469-4
2. Opie, J. E., Vuong, A., Welsh, E. T., Esler, T. B., Khan, U. R., & Khalil, H. (2024). Outcomes of best-practice guided digital mental health interventions for youth and young adults with emerging symptoms: Part II. A systematic review of user experience outcomes. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 27, 476–508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-024-00468-5
3. Opie, J. E., Vuong, A., McIntosh, J., & Kuntsche, S. (2025). Brief digital mental health interventions for adults with emerging symptoms: Part II. User experience outcomes based on a systematic review. Mental Health and Digital Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHDT-07-2025-0050

Research project team

• Jessica Opie (The University of Cambridge)
• An Vuong (The Bouverie Centre)
• Ellen Welsh (The Bouverie Centre)
• Jennifer McIntosh (The Bouverie Centre)
• Sandra Kuntsche (The Bouverie Centre)
• Richard Gray (La Trobe University)
• Natalie Pearce (La Trobe University)
• Sonia Marchionda (The Bouverie Centre)
• Rachel Mutch (Beyond Blue)
• Hanan Khalil (La Trobe University)
• Timothy Esler
• Urooj Raza Khan (La Trobe University)