JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Employee burnout has reached critical levels, with nearly 40% of workers reporting symptoms driven by excessive workloads, inadequate managerial support and toxic organizational cultures. Research has consistently indicated that workplace stress significantly impacts employees’ physical health. Consequently, a variety of self‑guided mental health programs have been developed to address these challenges. Despite numerous evidence‑based self‑guided mental health interventions, there remains a lack of understanding and clarity regarding which specific content modules, intervention features, active components, and theoretical frameworks most effectively drive meaningful improvements in workplace mental health.

Objective:

This systematic review aims to synthesize evidence on self-guided digital mental health interventions in workplace settings. Specifically, it seeks to identify which content, design features, activities, and assignments that are most effective for preventing burnout and enhancing psychological well-being. This review will also examine underlying theoretical mechanisms and assess the methodological rigour of included studies to provide actionable recommendations for intervention developers and organizational stakeholders.

Methods:

A systematic search will be executed across PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library for relevant studies published since 2000, using comprehensive search strings targeting working adults, digital delivery modes, outcomes related to burnout prevention, stress reduction, well-being, and controlled experimental designs. Titles, abstracts and keywords will be screened, with additional records identified through manual searches of reference lists. Following the removal of duplicates, a two-step screening process will be applied to studies based on the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data from eligible studies will be extracted into a standardized Excel template covering authors, sample characteristics, study design, intervention content and theoretical framework, outcome measures, intervention effectiveness, implementation fidelity, and risk-of-bias assessment.

Results:

Preliminary searches were conducted in early 2025. The review is anticipated to be completed by December 2025.

Conclusions:

This review will identify the active ingredients and theoretical underpinnings that drive the effectiveness of self-guided digital mental health interventions in workplace settings. This systematic review has the potential to inform and offer insights regarding practical workplace mental health and wellness programs. By mapping effective intervention components, this systematic review has the potential to guide the development of scalable and accessible programs that enhance employee wellness, boost productivity, and inform future organizational mental health and workplace wellness initiatives. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD420251035459; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251035459