Promoting University Students’ Mental Health through an Online Multicomponent Intervention during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Anne Theurel (), Arnaud Witt and Rebecca Shankland
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Anne Theurel: Instance Régionale D’éducation et de Promotion de la Santé, 21000 Dijon, France
Arnaud Witt: LEAD-CNRS (UMR 5022), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 21000 Dijon, France
Rebecca Shankland: Laboratory DIPHE, Department of Psychology, Education and Vulnerabilities, Université Lumière Lyon 2, 69676 Bron, France

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 16, 1-15

Abstract: The mental health of university students is a serious public health issue. The alarming trend of high levels of untreated psychological distress observed during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for prevention programs. Digital tools are a promising means of delivering such programs. Web-based programs are acceptable and effective at improving mental health problems and general mental well-being. However, the usefulness of such digital prevention approaches to address the multiple issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic needs to be tested. The current study assessed the effectiveness of an 8-week online intervention, integrating a variety of evidence-based strategies for improving French university students’ mental health. Students were assigned to: (1) the online self-help program ETUCARE ( n = 53), or (2) the control condition ( n = 50). All the participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires that assessed mental health problems and psychological well-being. The findings revealed that, compared to the control group, participation in the online program was associated with higher levels of psychological well-being post-test and fewer clinical symptoms of psychological distress, anxiety, and alcohol consumption. These preliminary findings suggest that the ETUCARE program is a promising multicomponent intervention to buffer the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in French university students.

Keywords: mental health; university students; self-help program; online; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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