Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40408764›Full record

Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2025

Effectiveness of Neurofeedback-Assisted and Conventional 6-Week Web-Based Mindfulness Interventions on Mental Health of Chinese Nursing Students: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Shu Jing, Zhenwei Dai, Xiaoyang Liu, Xuelin Yang, Jinglei Cheng, Tianming Chen, Zihang Feng, Xin Liu, Fenghe Dong, You Xin and 4 more

Erratum issuedAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Shu JingSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0299-5782
Zhenwei DaiPeking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7508-008X
Xiaoyang LiuSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2937-2881
Xuelin YangSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2316-1271
Jinglei ChengSchool of Nursing and Institute of Nursing Research, School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3536-7138
Tianming ChenSchool of Nursing, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8023-1119
Zihang FengSchool of Nursing, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8977-9804
Xin LiuSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4382-8687
Fenghe DongCollege of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5669-5290
You XinSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3289-2417
Zhuoyan HanSchool of Translation and Interpreting, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3749-5573
Haiyan HuShenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6447-5107
Xiaoyou SuSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4216-2142
Chen WangSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7857-5435

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNursing students experience disproportionately high rates of mental health challenges, underscoring the urgent need for innovative, scalable interventions. Web-based mindfulness programs, and more recently, neurofeedback-enhanced approaches, present potentially promising avenues for addressing this critical issue.

objectiveThis study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the neurofeedback-assisted online mindfulness intervention (NAOM) and the conventional online mindfulness intervention (COM) in reducing mental health symptoms among Chinese nursing students.

methodsA 3-armed randomized controlled trial was conducted among 147 nursing students in Beijing, China, using a 6-week web-based mindfulness program. Participants received NAOM, COM, or general mental health education across 6 weeks. Electroencephalogram and validated tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire were used to primarily assess symptoms of depression and anxiety at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at 1 and 3 months after the intervention. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the effects of intervention and time.

resultsA total of 155 participants enrolled in the study, and 147 finished all assessments. Significant reductions in the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue were observed in the NAOM (mean difference [MD]=-3.330, Cohen d=0.926, P<.001; MD=-3.468, Cohen d=1.091, P<.001; MD=-2.620, Cohen d=0.743, P<.001, respectively) and the COM (MD=-1.875, Cohen d=0.490, P=.03; MD=-1.750, Cohen d=0.486, P=.02; MD=-2.229, Cohen d=0.629, P=.01, respectively) groups compared with the control group at postintervention assessment. Moreover, the NAOM group showed significantly better effects than the COM group in alleviating depressive symptoms (MD=-1.455; Cohen d=0.492; P=.04) and anxiety symptoms (MD=-1.718; Cohen d=0.670; P=.04) and improving the level of mindfulness (MD=-3.765; Cohen d=1.245; P<.001) at the postintervention assessment. However, no significant difference except for the anxiety symptoms was observed across the 3 groups at the 1- and 3-month follow-ups.

conclusionsThis 6-week web-based mindfulness intervention, both conventional and neurofeedback-assisted, effectively alleviated mental health problems in the short term among nursing students. The addition of neurofeedback demonstrated greater short-term benefits; however, but these effects were not sustained over the long term. Future research should focus on long-term interventions using a more robust methodological approach.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) ChiCTR2400080314; https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=211845.

Indexed as

InternetInternet-Based InterventionMental HealthMindfulnessNeurofeedbackStudents, NursingAdultAnxietyChinaDepressionEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansMaleYoung Adultanxietydepressionneurofeedbacknursing student mental healthonline mindfulnessrandomized controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID40408764
PMCPMC12144476

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.