ArticlePLOS digital health2024
Mind-body internet and mobile-based interventions for depression and anxiety in adults with chronic physical conditions: A systematic review of RCTs.
Article in PLOS digital health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Do the effects of internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (i-CBT) last after a year and beyond? A meta-analysis of 154 randomized controlled trials (RCTs).Clinical psychology review · 2024Pooled it
- A Mobile-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Reducing Demoralization in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Effect of a digital intervention on mental health symptoms in adults with chronic conditions: A three-arm randomized controlled trial.PLoS medicine · 2026Trial
- Article
- Persuasive Design in a Digital Mindfulness Intervention: A Randomized Trial of a Skill-Based Achievement System and Automated Peer Encouragement.Journal of healthcare informatics research · 2026Article
- Article
- Integrative Hepatology: Enhancing overall health to manage liver disease.Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) · 2025Article
- How to create a mindful community of practice: exploring the social functions of group-based mindfulness practices facilitated via Zoom during COVID-19.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Association between Adverse Psychological Emotions and Postoperative Brace for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Prospective Cohort Study with Propensity Score Matching.Orthopaedic surgery · 2024Article
- Evolution of Primary Research Studies in Digital Interventions for Mental Well-Being Promotion from 2004 to 2023: A Bibliometric Analysis of Studies on the Web of Science.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- Sex and gender reporting in RCTs of internet and mobile-based interventions for depression and anxiety in chronic conditions: A secondary analysis of a systematic review.PLOS mental health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This review summarizes the effectiveness of scalable mind-body internet and mobile-based interventions (IMIs) on depression and anxiety symptoms in adults living with chronic physical conditions. Six databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, EMBASE, CINAHL, and CENTRAL) were searched for randomized controlled trials published from database inception to March 2023. Mind-body IMIs included cognitive behavioral therapy, breathwork, meditation, mindfulness, yoga or Tai-chi. To focus on interventions with a greater potential for scale, the intervention delivery needed to be online with no or limited facilitation by study personnel. The primary outcome was mean change scores for anxiety and depression (Hedges' g). In subgroup analyses, random-effects models were used to calculate pooled effect size estimates based on personnel support level, intervention techniques, chronic physical condition, and survey type. Meta-regression was conducted on age and intervention length. Fifty-six studies met inclusion criteria (sample size 7691, mean age of participants 43 years, 58% female): 30% (n = 17) neurological conditions, 12% (n = 7) cardiovascular conditions, 11% cancer (n = 6), 43% other chronic physical conditions (n = 24), and 4% (n = 2) multiple chronic conditions. Mind-body IMIs demonstrated statistically significant pooled reductions in depression (SMD = -0.33 [-0.40, -0.26], p<0.001) and anxiety (SMD = -0.26 [-0.36, -0.17], p<0.001). Heterogeneity was moderate. Scalable mind-body IMIs hold promise as interventions for managing anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with chronic physical conditions without differences seen with age or intervention length. While modest, the effect sizes are comparable to those seen with pharmacological therapy. The field would benefit from detailed reporting of participant demographics including those related to technological proficiency, as well as further evaluation of non-CBT interventions. Registration: The study is registered with PROSPERO ID #CRD42022375606.
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.