Mental health issues are surging for college students in the United States with depression increasing 106% and anxiety 134% since 2010, according to the American College Health Association.

As the number of mental health problems for young people increase, the number of mental health therapists available to address these issues is not keeping pace. Recent studies (Peipert et al., 2022; Sun et al., 2023) found that 69-80% of therapists reported keeping a waitlist, with patients waiting on average 2.5 months for treatment. In rural areas in particular, about three in five Americans live in an area with a shortage of mental healthcare professionals. Plus, the stigma around seeking mental healthcare still exists: one in five Americans struggle with their mental health, but 60% of that group never seeks treatment. 

A new study from Loyola University Chicago sought to examine whether technology-delivered interventions (TDIs, such as Headspace) could reduce depression symptoms in college students. The completed study found that Headspace helps mitigate symptoms in college students dealing with depression and can boost their sense of wellbeing. 

According to the study, Headspace “Demonstrated a reduction in depression symptoms, and in other indicators of psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, stress, negative affect), over time. Self-reported positive wellbeing outcomes included an increase in positive affect and happiness, enhanced capacity to savor the moment, enhanced compassion, self-regulation, and trait mindfulness. These statistically significant benefits were medium to large in size and lasted into the one-month follow-up period.”

In the study, 145 college students who reported depression were provided access to Headspace for two months. At the same time, a control group of students also reporting depression were placed on a waitlist. 

The students with Headspace had access to guided mindfulness and meditation exercises in addition to other wellness-related content — such as soundscapes, sleepcasts, and focus music. The researchers found that the students most often relied on the mindfulness and meditation exercises.

The participants completed surveys at the midway point, after completion of the two-month study, and one month after the study’s close (three month follow up). At the conclusion of the two-month period of the study, depression symptoms decreased 33% in the intervention group – reducing the average score to mild whereas the average depression scores remained moderate in the control group. 

"[It] is remarkable that 52% of participants maintained use into the third month, which was the follow-up period … Strikingly, participants used the app heavily (75.50% of sessions) outside of the university wellness clinic’s open hours."

Post-intervention, the results of a three-month follow-up survey showed continued improvement for the Headspace app users, not only for depression symptoms but also for general wellbeing. “... All 11 outcomes with significant effects at post-intervention, except for negative affect and happiness, maintained significant effects through the follow-up period,” the researchers wrote. Specifically, in the intervention group, depression symptoms decreased 46% from before the intervention to the three month follow up. 

The study also found that more than half of the participants with access to Headspace continued to use that app after the study concluded. The researchers noted that it “is remarkable that 52% of participants maintained use into the third month, which was the follow-up period … Strikingly, participants used the app heavily (75.50% of sessions) outside of the university wellness clinic’s open hours, and the most common hours of use were between 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.”

The researchers found it a positive finding that “participants appeared to have created a durable behavioral habit that spanned into the follow-up period.” Due to the difficulty for college students to access in-person mental health treatment, the researchers were encouraged by the persistence of app usage.  

The researchers wrote in the study, “historically it has been difficult for students to access appropriate care on campus due to a variety of factors, including stigma, resource limitations (e.g., semester or annual session limits; lack of available clinicians), and time constraints... The findings from the present study bolster support for mTDIs as a promising and alternative tool for students experiencing depression symptoms who are otherwise not accessing mental health resources on campus.

Outside of college students alone, many people face the same challenges in accessing mental healthcare, whether it be due to stigma, cost, or a lack of available providers. By leveraging an on-demand mental health resource like Headspace, people can find ways to support their mental health and improve wellbeing in a low-barrier, easy-to-access way. 

To learn more about how Headspace helps support mental health outcomes and lower costs of care, contact us here. Are you a researcher interested in using Headspace for an upcoming research project? You can reach out to research@headspace.com or submit study proposals here.