# Association between a multi-component web-based mental health intervention and clinical outcomes in patients with psychological disorders: a historical controlled study

## TL;DR

A web-based mental health program improved outcomes for patients with psychological disorders compared to traditional methods over six months.

## Contribution

Demonstrated that a web-based mental health intervention significantly improved clinical outcomes compared to conventional assessments.

## Key findings

- The study group had significantly lower depression and anxiety scores at 1, 3, and 6 months.
- At 6 months, the study group showed higher quality of life scores and better social functioning.
- Web-based assessments led to improved clinical outcomes compared to paper-based methods.

## Abstract

To evaluate the association between a multi-component web-based mental health intervention and clinical outcomes in patients with psychological disorders through a historical controlled study.

This historical controlled study included 483 patients diagnosed with psychological disorders who received interventions at our hospital between August 2022 and October 2024. Patients were divided into a control group (CG, n = 238, treated from August 2022 to June 2023 using conventional paper-based assessments) and a study group (SG, n = 245, treated from July 2023 to October 2024 with multi-component web-based mental health intervention). Both groups received standardized treatment according to clinical practice guidelines, with the primary difference being the assessment modality. The web-based system enabled remote completion of standardized assessments and provided real-time data visualization for clinicians. Assessment indicators included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Follow-up assessments were conducted at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-intervention.

Baseline characteristics including gender distribution, mean age, mean BMI, and types of psychological disorders were comparable between groups (p > 0.05). At 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups, the study group demonstrated significantly lower PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSQI scores compared to the control group (p < 0.05). At 6 months post-intervention, the study group exhibited higher scores across all SF-36 dimensions (physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health) compared to the control group (p < 0.05), with a total score of 74.53 ± 9.94, significantly higher than the control group’s 63.70 ± 9.89 (t = 11.997, p < 0.001). Additionally, at 6 months post-intervention, the study group had significantly lower SDSS scores and higher WHOQOL-BREF scores than the control group (p < 0.05).

This historical controlled study observed an association between a multi-component web-based mental health intervention and improvements in depression, anxiety, sleep symptoms, quality of life, and social functioning. Given the historical design and pandemic-related temporal confounding, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating.