Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.84> Article
Research Article

Behavioural Interventions for Mental Health Problems in Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Yijia JiangKing’s College London*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Adolescents are increasingly affected by mental health issues, especially anxiety and depression, which require early behavioural interventions. This paper reviewed four main types of behavioural interventions --- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-based Interventions (MBIs), family and school-based interventions and digital interventions and summarised their influences and limitations. Although each of them shows positive effects on improving adolescent mental health, current research lacks standardised evaluation tools, longitudinal data and under-representative populations. Comparative insights indicate that existing interventions often operate in isolated domains, such as treatment, family, school, or digital domains, resulting in reduced overall effectiveness. Dynamic Ecosystem Adaptation through Allostasis (DEA-A), an ecosystem approach, is proposed to integrate several interventions. Finally, this article puts forward suggestions for future research to develop a multi-level and personalised intervention system based on standardisation and long-term evaluation. This approach may enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of adolescent mental health treatment.

Keywords: adolescent mental health; behavioural interventions; ecosystemic approach
Published: September 24, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.27062
Volume: CHR Vol.84
pp. 29-34
Download PDF

References

  1. World Health Organization, 2024. “Mental health of adolescents, ” World Health Organization, https: //www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
  2. F. E. Ibadin, "View of SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) EFFECTIVENESS IN TREATING DEPRESSION AMONG ADULT MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS, " Doi.org, 2025. https: //doi.org/10.37547/tajmspr/volume06issue12-11
  3. C. L. Bowden, "Expand the applicability and acceptability of CBT approaches in mood disorders, " World Psychiatry, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 261–262, Oct. 2014, doi: https: //doi.org/10.1002/wps.20165.
  4. A. F. Dawson et al., "Mindfulness‐Based Interventions for University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials, " Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, vol. 12, no. 2, Nov. 2019, doi: https: //doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12188.
  5. M. Fearnow-Kenney, P. Hill, and N. Gore, "Child and Parent Voices on a Community-Based Prevention Program (FAST), " ˜The œSchool community journal/School community journal, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 223–238, Apr. 2016
  6. F. W. Paulus, S. Ohmann, and C. Popow, "Practitioner Review: School-based interventions in child mental health, " Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 1337–1359, Jul. 2016, doi: https: //doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12584.
  7. REZAEI FATEMEH, GHAZANFARI FIROUZEH, and P. MEHDI, "THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POSITIVE PARENTING PROGRAM (TRIPLE-P) IN PARENTAL STRESS AND SELF EFFICACY OF MOTHERS AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS OF STUDENTS WITH EDUCABLE MENTAL RETARDATION, " SID, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 7–16, 2017, Accessed: Aug. 05, 2025. [Online]. Available: https: //sid.ir/paper/244619/en
  8. X. Zhou, S. Edirippulige, X. Bai, and M. Bambling, “Are online mental health interventions for youth effective? A systematic review, ” Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, vol. 27, no. 10, pp. 638–666, Nov. 2021.
  9. I. Buric, Lucija Žderić, P. Koch, and C. de Bruin, "Mindfulness-based integrative programme: The effectiveness, acceptability, and predictors of responses to a novel low-dose mindfulness-based intervention, " Journal of Affective Disorders, Dec. 2024, doi: https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.12.076.
  10. M. O'Connor, G. O'Reilly, E. Murphy, L. Connaughton, E. Hoctor, and L. McHugh, "Universal process-based CBT for positive mental health in early adolescence: A cluster randomized controlled trial, " Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 154, p. 104120, Jul. 2022, doi: https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2022.104120.
  11. R. Srinivasan, S. Walker, and J. Wakefield, "Cognitive behavioural therapy, short-term psychoanalytical psychotherapy and brief psychosocial intervention are all effective in the treatment of depression in adolescents, " Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition, vol. 104, no. 1, pp. 56–56, Aug. 2018, doi: https: //doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2018-315259.
  12. S. Nagamitsu et al., "Adolescent Health Promotion Interventions Using Well-Care Visits and a Smartphone Cognitive Behavioral Therapy App: Randomized Controlled Trial, " JMIR mHealth and uHealth, vol. 10, no. 5, p. e34154, May 2022, doi: https: //doi.org/10.2196/34154.
  13. S. Schmidt, "Mindfulness in East and West – Is It the Same?, " Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality, vol. 1, pp. 23–38, 2011, doi: https: //doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2079-4_2.
  14. Guillaume Broc, L. Brunel, and Olivier Lareyre, "Dynamic Ecosystem Adaptation through Allostasis (DEA-A) Model: Conceptual Presentation of an Integrative Theoretical Framework for Global Health Change, " International journal of environmental research and public health (Online), vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 432–432, Apr. 2024, doi: https: //doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040432.