ABSTRACT
Background: Supporting psychological care is one of the primary concerns for any nation, especially after the increased disease burden developed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To handle this crisis, healthcare practitioners provided interventions and psychological support using several digital infrastructures that suited the new normal. This systematic review aims to understand the outcomes of the psychological services received through digital mediums during COVID-19 among adults.
Method: The review followed the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework. The inclusion criteria included (a) type of study: randomised controlled trials; (b) study population: adults with psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (c) outcomes: the effect of psychological support received digitally. Studies focusing on offline psychological support and participants under 18 years were excluded. A comprehensive search strategy was employed using seven databases written in English from December 2019 to August 2022. The Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomised control trials (RoB 2.0) was used to assess the risk of bias. The study considered narrative synthesis to understand and explain the studies included for review.
Results: The review considered nine studies with an overall number of participants of 2,147 with a mean age of 33.5 years. The study outcomes are categorised on the basis of the efficacy of these interventions and further analysed for the risk and protective factors associated with these interventions, along with implications and future directions.
Discussion: It is noted that these studies have claimed efficacy concerning the psychological conditions under investigation. However, these preliminary findings have to be considered judiciously. To reach a consensus among the stakeholders, these digital interventions must be tested with more rigour and protocols for scientific attestation (PROSPERO: CRD42022370432).
