Clinical Takeaway
University students using the Minder mobile app showed measurable improvements in mental health and substance use outcomes compared to control groups in this randomized trial. Digital interventions like Minder offer accessible, scalable support during the critical transition period of university attendance when mental health and substance use issues typically emerge. The app’s effectiveness demonstrates that student-informed digital tools can provide clinically meaningful benefits for this population.
#6 Effectiveness of the Minder Mobile Mental Health and Substance Use Intervention for University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Citation: Vereschagin Melissa et al.. Effectiveness of the Minder Mobile Mental Health and Substance Use Intervention for University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial.. Journal of medical Internet research. 2024. PMID: 38536225.
Design: 5 Journal: 0 N: 3 Recency: 1 Pop: 2 Human: 1 Risk: 0
Abstract: BACKGROUND: University attendance represents a transition period for students that often coincides with the emergence of mental health and substance use challenges. Digital interventions have been identified as a promising means of supporting students due to their scalability, adaptability, and acceptability. Minder is a mental health and substance use mobile app that was codeveloped with university students. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the Minder mobile app in improving mental health and substance use outcomes in a general population of university students. METHODS: A 2-arm, parallel-assignment, single-blinded, 30-day randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate Minder using intention-to-treat analysis. In total, 1489 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention (n=743, 49.9%) or waitlist control (n=746, 50.1%) condition. The Minder app delivers evidence-based content through an automated chatbot and connects participants with services and university social groups. Participants are also assigned a trained peer coach to support them. The primary outcomes were measured through in-app self-assessments and included changes in general anxiety symptomology, depressive symptomology, and alcohol consumption risk measured using the 7-item General Anxiety Disorder scale, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and US Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption Scale, respectively, from baseline to 30-day follow-up. Secondary outcomes included measures related to changes in the frequency of substance use (cannabis, alcohol, opioids, and nonmedical stimulants) and mental well-being. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to examine each outcome. RESULTS: In total, 79.3% (589/743) of participants in the intervention group and 83% (619/746) of participants in the control group completed the follow-up survey. The intervention group had significantly greater average reductions in anxiety symptoms measure
| |
