Background: Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have been increasingly deployed to bridge gaps in mental health care, particularly given their promising efficacy. Nevertheless, attrition among DMHI users remains high. In response, human support has been studied as a means of improving retention to and outcomes of DMHIs. Although a growing number of studies and meta-analyses have investigated the effects of human support for DMHIs on mental health outcomes, systematic empirical evidence of its effectiveness across mental health domains remains scant. Objective: We aimed to summarize the results of meta-analyses of human support versus no support for DMHI use across various outcome domains, participant samples, and support providers. Methods: We conducted a systematic meta-review of meta-analyses, comparing the effects of human support with those of no support for DMHI use, with the goal of qualitatively summarizing data across various outcome domains, participant samples, and support providers. We used MEDLINE, PubMed, and PsycINFO electronic databases. Articles were included if the study had a quantitative meta-analysis study design; the intervention targeted mental health symptoms and was delivered via a technology platform (excluding person-delivered interventions mediated through telehealth, text messages, or social media); the outcome variables included mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, stress, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, or a number of these symptoms together; and the study included quantitative comparisons of outcomes in which human support versus those when no or minimal human support was provided. Results: The results of 31 meta-analyses (505 unique primary studies) were analyzed. The meta-analyses reported 45 effect sizes; almost half (n=22, 48%) of them showed that human-supported DMHIs were significantly more effective than unsupported DMHIs. A total of 9% (4/45) of effect sizes showed that unsupported DMHIs were significantly more effective. No clear patterns of results emerged regarding the efficacy of human support for the outcomes assessed (including anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, stress, and multiple outcomes). Human-supported DMHIs may be more effective than unsupported DMHIs for individuals with elevated mental health symptoms. There were no clear results regarding the type of training for those providing support. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the potential of human support in improving the effects of DMHIs. Specifically, evidence emerged for stronger effects of human support for individuals with greater symptom severity. There was considerable heterogeneity across meta-analyses in the level of detail regarding the nature of the interventions, population served, and support delivered, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions regarding the circumstances under which human support is most effective. Future research should emphasize reporting detailed descriptions of sample and intervention characteristics and describe the mechanism through which they believe the coach will be most useful for the DMHI.

Purpose: Well-trained peer mentors can provide a first line of support to incoming college students, preventing the escalation of early stressors and administrative missteps while promoting students' engagement in helpful resources. MentorPRO, a novel all-in-one mentoring platform, was implemented in a private university in the northeastern USA to support incoming first-year students by pairing them with a trained and paid peer mentor and to provide them with just-in-time resources. Design/methodology/approach: This study used propensity score matching to examine the effects of engaging with MentorPRO on first-year students' academic functioning and linear regression to examine the effects on well-being outcomes. Findings: Greater engagement (as measured by more check-ins and student-initiated messages) was associated with higher end-of-year grade point averages, more course withdrawals and higher levels of self-reported academic self-efficacy, belonging and overall well-being. Originality/value: Implications for scaling access to evidence-based interventions and bridging gaps in student services are discussed.

College students face significant mental health and academic challenges and often struggle to navigate university resources. Students from marginalized backgrounds face additional barriers to help‐seeking and are less likely to utilize campus services. Peer mentoring programs can help bridge this gap and are most effective when they are goal‐focused. Technology can help scale these programs by offering mentee‐mentor pairs a structured approach to setting goals and facilitating mentors' ability to provide targeted support. In this study, we explored a peer‐mentoring platform that enabled incoming first‐year college students to message their mentors and track goals. Goal setting was significantly associated with students' grade point average at the end of their first semester. After controlling for platform engagement, goal setting remained a significant predictor of self‐efficacy and life satisfaction. Goal setting within peer mentoring relationships may serve as a brief, scalable intervention to promote academic success and well‐being during the transition to college.

Young women from historically marginalized backgrounds face significant barriers to accessing the professional guidance and social capital necessary for career advancement. To address this problem, a flash mentoring digital tool was developed to expand underrepresented young women’s access to time-limited guidance from pre-screened professional women within Step Up Women’s Network, a mentorship nonprofit program. This community-based program evaluation used a user-centered design approach to develop and refine the platform. In-person workshops and informal group discussion sessions with young Step Up women aged 18 to 29 provided feedback on networking approaches and mentorship needs, which informed the platform design. A total of 285 female mentors and 363 female mentees downloaded and engaged with the platform over two years. Implementation metrics included 5008 messages exchanged with 2528 sent by mentees, 316 meetings held, and high usage of goal-setting features with 1445 goals set and check-ins with 72 percent of mentees. Evaluation findings suggested that the intervention was acceptable and feasible, fostering new, short-term supportive relationships within Step Up Women’s Network. Although additional evaluation with rigorous outcome measures is needed, this program evaluation highlights the potential of a scalable intervention for Step Up Women’s Network that extends the framework of youth-initiated mentoring interventions, which have shown considerable promise in recent years.