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Background Student life offers many opportunities for personal development; however, this transitional phase often also poses challenges to mental health. Various factors associated with university life, such as academic stress and financial burdens, have been found to exacerbate psychological distress and contribute to increased alcohol and substance use among students. Our aim is to closely examine (i) components of available digital public health interventions (DPHIs), (ii) to evaluate their effectiveness for promoting well-being, health behaviors, and reducing symptoms of mental disorders among university students and (iii) to rate the quality of the evidence identified in this rapid review. Methods We conducted a rapid review to capture the evidence on DPHIs for university students. We adhered to the methodological criteria recommended by the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group and PRISMA. The literature search was performed in Ovid MEDLINE to look for articles related to university students, mental well-being, mental health, and DPHIs published between June 2018 - June 2023. The selection was carried out in two steps: Screening of titles and abstracts and screening of full texts. Results One thousand one hundred thirty-two articles were screened, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria for data extraction. (i) Of the intervention components in the included studies, 18 used web-based platforms, while six used smartphone applications. The interventions were aimed at improving mental health (68%), reducing substance use (28%), promoting physical activity (PA) (36%) and changing eating habits (16%). (ii) 42% of the included studies were able to demonstrate significant effects in the intended direction for mental health, 4% for substance use, 25% for PA and 8% for eating behavior. (iii) The quality assessment revealed that 58% of the studies were classified with ‘some concerns’, indicating moderate bias, while 29% were classified as ‘high risk’, suggesting considerable bias affecting the validity of the results. Conclusion This rapid review comprehensively summarized intervention components of DPHIs. Further, the findings of this review provide significant insights into the effectiveness of DPHIs targeting mental well-being and health behaviors among university students. The studies included in the analysis demonstrate varying degrees of success across different domains, highlighting both the potential and limitations of DPHIs.

Discrimination poses a threat to the mental health of university students, especially those affected by social inequality, yet understanding its intersectional impact remains limited. This study examines the intersection of social inequalities with perceived discrimination to explore differences in mental health among students in Germany. Data from the cross-sectional project \"Survey on study conditions and mental health of university students\" (n = 14,592) were analysed using Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA). Depressive symptoms, cognitive stress symptoms, and exhaustion were examined across 48 intersectional strata based on gender, first academic generation, family care tasks, and perceived discrimination. The MAIHDA analysis revealed substantial between strata variance, with most of it explained by additive rather than intersectional interaction effects. Perceived discrimination, diverse or female gender, first academic generation, and family care tasks (for exhaustion only) were associated with worse mental health outcomes. The profound associations between perceived discrimination and the mental health among university students call for urgent attention and intervention within university settings. Adopting an intersectional lens is key to identifying and addressing inequalities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on students' financial situation as well as on their mental health. To examine the reported change in the financial situation of German university students before and across two time points of the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate its associations with anxiety and depressive symptoms. We used data from the cross-sectional COVID-19 German Student Well-being Study conducted at five German universities (N = 7203). Linear regression models were used to analyze associations between a reported change in financial situation and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Twenty-eight percent of the participants reported to have a worsened financial situation at the time of the survey compared to the time prior to the pandemic. A worsened financial situation at the time of the survey as compared to prior to the pandemic was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms reported in all three depression and anxiety scales [a 1.46 point increase on the CES-D 8 scale (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19; 1.73), a 0.37-point increase in PHQ-2 (95% CI: 0.28; 0.46), and a 0.45-point increase in GAD-2 (95% CI: 0.35; 0.55)]. An improved financial situation, on the other hand, was associated with lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. As for the second change, comparing the current financial situation with the situation during the first wave of the pandemic, the associations with anxiety and depressive symptoms were broadly similar. Our findings suggest that students are a vulnerable population in need of mental and financial support during times of crisis. Future research is needed to obtain insights into potential long-term effects of the pandemic on students' mental health.

ObjectivesDiscrimination poses a threat to the mental health of university students, especially those affected by social inequality, yet understanding its intersectional impact remains limited. This study examines the intersection of social inequalities with perceived discrimination to explore differences in mental health among students in Germany.MethodsData from the cross-sectional project “Survey on study conditions and mental health of university students” (n = 14,592) were analysed using Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA). Depressive symptoms, cognitive stress symptoms, and exhaustion were examined across 48 intersectional strata based on gender, first academic generation, family care tasks, and perceived discrimination.ResultsThe MAIHDA analysis revealed substantial between strata variance, with most of it explained by additive rather than intersectional interaction effects. Perceived discrimination, diverse or female gender, first academic generation, and family care tasks (for exhaustion only) were associated with worse mental health outcomes.ConclusionThe profound associations between perceived discrimination and the mental health among university students call for urgent attention and intervention within university settings. Adopting an intersectional lens is key to identifying and addressing inequalities.

[...]the cross-table showing the binary variable for depressive symptoms and the utilisation of student counselling is incorrect. Since there is no established and validated cut-off value for the CES-D 8 for university students, we decided to include this variable as a continuous score. [...]descriptive analyses (absolute, %) of the items of the CES-D 8, PHQ-2, and GAD-2 and study conditions were performed. [...]we analysed the distribution between the utilisation of student counselling (yes or no) and other factors, such as sociodemographic characteristics and depressive (PHQ-2) and anxiety symptoms (GAD-2). [...]it was used in the preceding C19 ISWS study.

University students are generally vulnerable to mental health problems. This was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when students experienced decisive changes and restrictions in their academic lives. Our study aimed at (a) analysing associations between study conditions and symptoms of depression and anxiety and (b) determining the extent of use and motivation to use student counselling services. The C19 GSWS is a cross-sectional study conducted at five universities in Germany (N = 7203). Descriptive analyses and linear regression models were performed to estimate the associations between study conditions and mental health outcomes. A total of 42.4% of the students felt down, depressed, or hopeless on several days over the past 14 days. Between a third and 44.1% of the students felt burdened by their study conditions. Worse perceived study conditions were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety. Only 7.1% indicated that they had utilised student counselling services, and female gender, enrolment in a bachelor’s programme, and having more than 1 reason for utilisation were factors associated with use. The results of our research underline the need for universities to review their study conditions and to provide targeted intervention strategies and counselling services to promote students’ mental well-being.