Complex Intervention Programs Integrating Multiple Intervention Strategies Were Not More Effective than Active Control Groups: Evidence from Randomized Controlled Trials

<b>Background:</b> Evidence-based complex psychological interventions have been widely applied and appear promising in improving emotional and behavioral disturbances such as depression and sleep problems. However, the effectiveness of these complex psychological interventions, particularly in comparison to active control groups, has yet to be confirmed. <b>Objectives:</b> To explore the effects of a complex set of intervention strategies on depression and sleep quality, two randomized controlled trials with active control conditions were conducted. <b>Method:</b> A total of 97 college students with depressive symptoms were enrolled in study 1 (Intervention = 48; Active control = 49) and participated in the intervention for depression. A total of 110 college students with sleep problems (intervention = 54; active control = 56) participated in the intervention for sleep quality in study 2. College students in the intervention group received a combination intervention program of cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness exercises, and positive psychology for depression or sleep quality, while participants in the active control group read popular science articles about mental health. The intervention lasted two weeks. Depression, sleep quality, and related factors were measured before, during, and after the interventions. <b>Results:</b> Although both the intervention and active control conditions effectively reduced depression and sleep problems, the trend of change over time was consistent between both groups. Overall, the effects of the intervention group were not better than those of the active control group. <b>Conclusions:</b> The effects of short-term, multi-strategy interventions on depression and sleep quality in our study were not better than simply reading articles about mental health. These findings suggest that simply combining evidence-based components does not necessarily produce superior outcomes.