Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Mar 21, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 21, 2025 - May 16, 2025
Date Accepted: May 26, 2026
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Effects of self-guided digital mindfulness interventions on the mental health of healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
ABSTRACT
Background:
Mindfulness interventions are considered an effective strategy for preventing mental health problems among healthcare workers (HCWs). However, it is unclear wThis systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of self-guided digital mindfulness interventions on the mental health and well-being of HCWs.hether self-guided digital mindfulness interventions may also be effective without professional or in-person support.
Objective:
This systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of self-guided digital mindfulness interventions on the mental health and well-being of HCWs.
Methods:
This work was conducted as a part of DeLiGHT project. In this project, database searching yielded 37,851 abstracts and 145 studies that examined the effectiveness of digital health interventions for workers. In the present study, we limited the included studies that met the following criteria; randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using digital mindfulness interventions without face-to-face or professional support versus waiting list control or usual care among HCWs. Study quality was assessed using Cochrane’s Risk of Bias tool, with meta-analyses conducted by using a random effect model.
Results:
Among 145 studies, a total of 33 mindfulness intervention studies for workers were identified. After excluding studies for general workers and intervention with face-to-face or professional support, 9 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed a significant beneficial effect on depression (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.44, p=0.049), anxiety (SMD = -0.29, p=0.011), perceived stress (SMD = -0.42, p=0.021), and well-being (SMD = 0.20, p<0.001) immediately post-intervention.
Conclusions:
This study revealed that self-guided digital mindfulness interventions at work effectively improved mental health and well-being among HCWs. Further studies should examine their long-term effectiveness. Clinical Trial: The study protocol has been registered in the UMIN registry (registration number: UMIN000051631).
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