Background: Common mental disorders (CMDs) impose significant socioeconomic impacts on the global community. Nevertheless, over 50% of individuals with CMDs do not receive proper treatment, indicating that the current treatment modalities do not adequately tackle this issue. Since single-session therapy (SST) is a potential method for reducing the treatment gap, it is crucial to evaluate its effectiveness. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of SST on CMD symptoms in adults. Methods: This systematic review included randomised and non-randomised studies assessing the clinical effectiveness of SST on CMD symptoms in adults. English-written, peer-reviewed studies or dissertations were included, while grey literature was excluded. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane’s CENTRAL were searched on December 13, 2022, from their inception dates. The risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated using RoB 2 and ROBINS-I. A narrative synthesis was performed. This systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO database on July 6, 2022 (CRD42022343925). Results: Six randomised and three non-randomised studies were included after screening 2,130 records. Three non-randomised studies with a “critical” or “serious” risk of bias were excluded from the synthesis. Therefore, six randomised trials involving 298 participants were included in the synthesis. Four out of six studies had a “high” risk of bias. The participants had non-severe symptoms at baseline, and three intervention types (behavioural activation, DBT, and solution-focused psychotherapy) were evaluated. Five of six studies showed positive results for depression, with only one reporting a positive result for anxiety. Conclusions: SST may be effective in improving CMD symptoms in adults, particularly depression. However, there is a limit to deriving definite conclusions due to a high risk of bias in included studies, insufficient sample size and research volume. Further research exploring the characteristics of clients who can benefit from SST is required to facilitate its widespread use.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges among children and adolescents in South Korea have intensified with rising rates of depression and suicide. Proactive interventions focusing on mental well-being are needed to address this critical issue. This study examines the effectiveness of the Mindfulness-based Social–Emotional Growth (MSEG) program for enhancing the mental health of elementary school students in Korea. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the impact of the MSEG program on students at an elementary school in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A total of 70 students (35 from lower grades [grades 1–3] and 35 from upper grades [grades 4–6]) participated in the 12-week intervention group, while 72 students were in the control group. Pre- and post-intervention assessments measured social–emotional, mindfulness, and clinical domains. The findings revealed significant improvements in emotional regulation across all grades. Lower-grade students showed substantially reduced anxiety and depression, while upper-grade students demonstrated enhanced resilience compared to the control group. These results indicate the potential of the MSEG program to promote early mental health when integrated into elementary school curricula. Further research is needed to adapt the program to diverse educational settings and optimize its effectiveness and impact.

김종태, et al. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 2020 Aug;59(3):208-214. https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2020.59.3.208

Objective This review critically evaluates internationally indexed evidence on mental health promotion and prevention interventions in Korea and examines whether the growing national infrastructure is underpinned by a scientific foundation that meets global standards.Methods A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to identify peer-reviewed quantitative studies published from database inception to August 8, 2025. Eligible studies evaluated programmatic or policy-level interventions explicitly designed to promote psychological well-being or prevent mental disorders among Koreans. Interventions were categorized according to the Institute of Medicine prevention framework and synthesized narratively.Results A total of 135 studies were included. Research targeting adolescents was relatively sparse, with a marked lack of promotion-focused interventions. Although research activity increased sharply after 2020, the evidence base remains uneven in methodological rigor. Only 23.7% of studies employed randomized controlled designs. A structural disconnect was evident in the research pipeline, where pilot studies rarely progressed to full-scale efficacy trials. Furthermore, interventions delivered through core community mental health institutions were frequently bypassed in research, with recent studies shifting heavily toward digital and web-based platforms.Conclusion While research volume has expanded, the field lacks the methodological and structural maturity required to guide national policy effectively. Establishing a robust scientific foundation is a prerequisite for transforming current national endeavors into a system delivering genuine population-level benefits. Future initiatives must prioritize rigorous evidence generation to align Korea’s mental health promotion and prevention strategies with global standards.