The DOI matches its Crossref record; 57 of the 57 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Rapid Review and Meta-Meta-Analysis of Self-Guided Interventions to Address Anxiety, Depression, and Stress During COVID-19 Social Distancing
Open accessAbstract
We conducted a rapid review and quantitative summary of meta-analyses that have examined interventions which can be used by individuals during quarantine and social distancing to manage anxiety, depression, stress and subjective well-being. A literature search yielded 34 meta-analyses (total number of studies k = 1,390, n = 145,744) that were summarized. Overall, self-guided interventions showed small to medium effects in comparison to control groups. In particular, self-guided therapeutic approaches (including cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, and acceptance-based interventions), selected positive psychology interventions, and multi-component and activity-based interventions (music, physical exercise) showed promising evidence for effectiveness. Overall, self-guided interventions on average did not show the same degree of effectiveness as traditional guided individual or group therapies. There was no consistent evidence of dose effects, baseline differences and differential effectiveness of eHealth interventions. More research on the effectiveness of interventions in diverse cultural settings is needed.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Self-guided interventions have been found to have promising evidence too.14”
From Psychological treatments for the mental health symptoms among individuals infected with COVID-19: a scoping review protocol (2023) · cites this paper as [14]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Stand-alone apps offer accessibility in times when face-to-face delivery is not an option, such as during pandemic-related lockdowns [65], and can deliver brief training components at convenient times for those with busy schedules [64,66].”
From Evaluation of an App-Delivered Psychological Flexibility Skill Training Intervention for Medical Student Burnout and Well-being: Randomized Controlled Trial (2023) · cites this paper as [65]
In the citing paper
“Indeed, a recent review shows that self-guided interventions may not be as effective as those in which there is an active relationship between the participants and the instructor (Fischer et al., 2020).”
From Feasibility of a Brief Online Mindfulness and Compassion-Based Intervention to Promote Mental Health Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as Fischer et al., 2020
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences
Muller, K. E., & Cohen, J. (1989) · Technometrics · doi:10.2307/1270020 · Cited by 99,603
Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package
Viechtbauer, W. (2010) · Journal of Statistical Software · doi:10.18637/jss.v036.i03 · Cited by 20,464
The Psychological Impact of Quarantine and How to Reduce It: Rapid Review of the Evidence
Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020) · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3532534 · Cited by 16,394
The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence
Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30460-8 · Cited by 16,378
The weirdest people in the world?
Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x0999152x · Cited by 12,641
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., Ho, C. S., & Ho, R. C. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17051729 · Cited by 9,923
Meta-Analytic Procedures for Social Research
Rosenthal, R. (1991) · doi:10.4135/9781412984997 · Cited by 4,635
WEIRD languages have misled us, too
Majid, A., & Levinson, S. C. (2010) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x1000018x · Cited by 4,177
Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed
Xiang, Y.-T., Yang, Y., Li, W., Zhang, L., Zhang, Q., Cheung, T., & Ng, C. H. (2020) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30046-8 · Cited by 3,598
Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period
Kissler, S. M., Tedijanto, C., Goldstein, E., Grad, Y. H., & Lipsitch, M. (2020) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.abb5793 · Cited by 2,611
Writing About Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process
Pennebaker, J. W. (1997) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x · Cited by 2,486
Psychological interventions for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic
Duan, L., & Zhu, G. (2020) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30073-0 · Cited by 1,885
Ho, C. S., Chee, C. Y., & Ho, R. C. (2020) · Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore · doi:10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.202043 · Cited by 1,699
Acceptance and commitment therapy.
Hayes, S. C., & Lillis, J. (2012) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/17335-000 · Cited by 1,543
Experimental disclosure and its moderators: A meta-analysis.
Frattaroli, J. (2006) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823 · Cited by 1,502 · cited 4×
“For positive psychology interventions, several meta-analyses also found no difference between clinical and non-clinical samples (Frattaroli, 2006; Reinhold et al., 2018; Cregg and Cheavens, 2020; Hendriks et al., 2020).”
BackgroundInfluentialHo, C. S. H., Chee, C. Y., & Ho, R. (2020) · PubMed · Cited by 1,354
Firth, J., Torous, J., Nicholas, J., Carney, R., Pratap, A., Rosenbaum, S., & Sarris, J. (2017) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20472 · Cited by 1,097
Spijkerman, M. P. J., Pots, W. T. M., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2016) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.03.009 · Cited by 975 · cited 1×
“Among therapy-derived interventions, several meta-analyses found no significant baseline effects or difference between clinical and non-clinical samples (Spijkerman et al., 2016; Deady et al., 2017; O’Connor et al., 2018; Strohmaier, 2020).”
BackgroundPublic Mental Health Crisis during COVID-19 Pandemic, China
Dong, L., & Bouey, J. Z. H. (2020) · Emerging infectious diseases · doi:10.3201/eid2607.200407 · Cited by 927
Understanding, compliance and psychological impact of the SARS quarantine experience
REYNOLDS, D. L., GARAY, J. R., DEAMOND, S. L., MORAN, M. K., GOLD, W., & STYRA, R. (2008) · Epidemiology and Infection · doi:10.1017/s0950268807009156 · Cited by 895
A Meta-Analysis of Compassion-Based Interventions: Current State of Knowledge and Future Directions
Kirby, J. N., Tellegen, C. L., & Steindl, S. R. (2017) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2017.06.003 · Cited by 827
Karyotaki, E., Riper, H., Twisk, J., Hoogendoorn, A., Kleiboer, A., Mira, A., Mackinnon, A., Meyer, B., Botella, C., Littlewood, E., et al. (2017) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.0044 · Cited by 691
Cuijpers, P., Noma, H., Karyotaki, E., Vinkers, C. H., Cipriani, A., & Furukawa, T. A. (2020) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20701 · Cited by 540
Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: a systematic review and two meta-analyses
de Witte, M., Spruit, A., van Hooren, S., Moonen, X., & Stams, G.-J. (2020) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2019.1627897 · Cited by 539
Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014 · Cited by 528
Davies, E. B., Morriss, R., & Glazebrook, C. (2014) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.3142 · Cited by 499
Standalone smartphone apps for mental health—a systematic review and meta-analysis
Weisel, K. K., Fuhrmann, L. M., Berking, M., Baumeister, H., Cuijpers, P., & Ebert, D. D. (2019) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-019-0188-8 · Cited by 447
Hendriks, T., Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Hassankhan, A., de Jong, J. T. V. M., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2019) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00082-1 · Cited by 380
Can psychological interventions increase optimism? A meta-analysis
Malouff, J. M., & Schutte, N. S. (2016) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2016.1221122 · Cited by 367
Cavanagh, K., Strauss, C., Forder, L., & Jones, F. (2014) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.01.001 · Cited by 340
Depressive Symptom Outcomes of Physical Activity Interventions: Meta-analysis Findings
Conn, V. S. (2010) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-010-9172-x · Cited by 333
Dickens, L. R. (2017) · Basic and Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/01973533.2017.1323638 · Cited by 297
Mindfulness-Based Programs in the Workplace: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Vonderlin, R., Biermann, M., Bohus, M., & Lyssenko, L. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01328-3 · Cited by 259
Stratton, E., Lampit, A., Choi, I., Calvo, R. A., Harvey, S. B., & Glozier, N. (2017) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0189904 · Cited by 252 · cited 1×
“Overall, the self-guided effect sizes tended to be lower than the effectiveness of traditional clinician-guided therapies, but clearly showed an effectiveness over and above active control groups (e.g., Spijkerman et al., 2016; Stratton et al., 2017).”
ResultSelf-guided psychological treatment for depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis
Cuijpers, P., Donker, T., Johansson, R., Mohr, D. C., van Straten, A., & Andersson, G. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021274 · Cited by 250
Blanck, P., Perleth, S., Heidenreich, T., Kröger, P., Ditzen, B., Bents, H., & Mander, J. (2018) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2017.12.002 · Cited by 248
Huang, J.-P., Nigatu, Y., Smail-Crevier, R., Zhang, X., & Wang, J.-L. (2018) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.09.018 · Cited by 223
Deady, M., Choi, I., Calvo, R. A., Glozier, N., Christensen, H., & Harvey, S. B. (2017) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1473-1 · Cited by 222
Cregg, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2021) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-020-00236-6 · Cited by 203
Koydemir, S., Sökmez, A. B., & Schütz, A. (2021) · Applied Research in Quality of Life · doi:10.1007/s11482-019-09788-z · Cited by 190
Music for anxiety? Meta-analysis of anxiety reduction in non-clinical samples
Panteleeva, Y., Ceschi, G., Glowinski, D., Courvoisier, D. S., & Grandjean, D. (2017) · Psychology of Music · doi:10.1177/0305735617712424 · Cited by 183
Understanding social psychology across cultures : engaging with others in a changing world
Smith, P. B., Fischer, R. D., Vignoles, V. L., & Bond, M. H. (2013) · Cited by 167
Self-citationStrohmaier, S. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01319-4 · Cited by 163
Hendriks, T., Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Hassankhan, A., Graafsma, T., Bohlmeijer, E. T., & de Jong, J. T. V. M. (2018) · International Journal of Wellbeing · doi:10.5502/ijw.v8i1.711 · Cited by 125
Effects of expressive writing on depressive symptoms-A meta-analysis
Reinhold, M., Bürkner, P., & Holling, H. (2018) · Clinical Psychology Science and Practice · doi:10.1111/cpsp.12224 · Cited by 110
Massoudi, B., Holvast, F., Bockting, C. L. H., Burger, H., & Blanker, M. H. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.050 · Cited by 101
Chu, S. T.-W., & Mak, W. W. S. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-019-01258-9 · Cited by 99
The Effectiveness of Social Distancing in Mitigating COVID-19 Spread: a modelling analysisPreprint
Milne, G. J., & Xie, S. (2020) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2020.03.20.20040055 · Cited by 98
Pavlacic, J. M., Buchanan, E. M., Maxwell, N. P., Hopke, T. G., & Schulenberg, S. E. (2019) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1177/1089268019831645 · Cited by 81
Heekerens, J. B., & Eid, M. (2020) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2020.1716052 · Cited by 80
Psychological Effects of Meditation for Healthy Practitioners: An Update
Sedlmeier, P., Loße, C., & Quasten, L. C. (2018) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0780-4 · Cited by 74
Ma, L., Zhang, Y., & Cui, Z. (2019) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-019-01192-w · Cited by 67
O’Connor, M., Munnelly, A., Whelan, R., & McHugh, L. (2018) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2017.07.007 · Cited by 62
Contemplative interventions and employee distress: A meta‐analysis
Slemp, G. R., Jach, H. K., Chia, A., Loton, D. J., & Kern, M. L. (2019) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.2857 · Cited by 53
Chen, C., & Shan, W. (2019) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112595 · Cited by 53
Zoogman, S., Goldberg, S. B., Vousoura, E., Diamond, M. C., & Miller, L. (2019) · Spirituality in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1037/scp0000202 · Cited by 41
Understanding Computer-Mediated Support Groups: A Revisit Using a Meta-Analytic Approach
Yang, Q. (2018) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2018.1551751 · Cited by 16
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- 2003, Organization of Services for Mental Health WHO Mental Health Policy and Service Guidance Package.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Matiz, A., Fabbro, F., Paschetto, A., Cantone, D., Paolone, A. R., & Crescentini, C. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17186450 · Cited by 204
Russo, D., Hanel, P. H. P., Altnickel, S., & van Berkel, N. (2021) · Empirical Software Engineering · doi:10.1007/s10664-021-09945-9 · Cited by 196
Krause, A. E., Dimmock, J. A., Rebar, A. L., & Jackson, B. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.631033 · Cited by 138
González-García, M., Álvarez, J. C., Pérez, E. Z., Fernandez-Carriba, S., & López, J. G. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01632-6 · Cited by 117
“Indeed, a recent review shows that self-guided interventions may not be as effective as those in which there is an active relationship between the participants and the instructor (Fischer et al., 2020).”
BackgroundRevenge buying after the lockdown: Based on the SOR framework and TPB model
Liu, Y., Cai, L., Ma, F., & Wang, X. (2023) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103263 · Cited by 127
Metadata
- Authors
- Fischer, R., Bortolini, T., Karl, J. A., Zilberberg, M., Robinson, K., Rabelo, A., Gemal, L., Wegerhoff, D., Nguyễn, T. B. T., Irving, B., Chrystal, M., & Mattos, P.
- Affiliations
- Victoria University of Wellington (NZ)
- D’Or Institute for Research and Education (BR)
- Universidade de Brasília (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (BR)
- Corresponding author
- Fischer, Ronald
- ORCID
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2020-10-28
- Volume
- 11
- Pages
- 563876-563876
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7655981
- OpenAlex
- W3097293400
- Cited by
- 153
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 8
- FWCI
- 4.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Keywords
- self-guided intervention, COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, quarantine, anxiety, depression, stress, subjective well-being, cognitive-behavioral intervention, mindfulness, acceptance-based interventions, positive psychology interventions, digital health interventions, music intervention, physical activity, dosage effect, cultural diversity
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
