Brief Digital Interventions for Psychological Distress

Which brief digital intervention most effectively reduces mild, moderate, and severe levels of psychological distress among college students?This artificial intelligence–enhanced response-adaptive randomized clinical trial involving 1282 distressed college students found that smartphone-based physical activity and mindfulness were most effective for severe distress and that physical activity and sleep hygiene were most effective for mild distress; no significant differences were observed for moderate distress. The trial’s novel methods improved efficiency by reducing control group allocation.These findings support using brief smartphone-based physical activity for mild and severe distress, mindfulness for severe distress, and sleep hygiene for mild distress.

Corresponding Author: Jill Newby, PhD, Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales Sydney, Hospital Road Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia (j.newby@unsw.edu.au).

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