126. Evaluation of the intervention effect of mental health education on academic stress-related depression from the perspective of higher education management

Abstract Background Under the backdrop of heavy academic workloads and intense competition in universities, academic stress-related depression is on the rise. Traditional mental health courses often remain at the level of knowledge dissemination, lacking targeted interventions and quantitative assessments for high-risk students. University education management departments need intervention effectiveness evidence that can be directly used for course optimization and student management. Therefore, this study evaluated the intervention effect of mental health education on academic stress-related depression from the perspective of university education management, aiming to provide new insights into reducing students’ levels of academic stress-related depression. Methods The study selected 412 students at risk of academic stress-related depression from three universities. All students had a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score ≥ 10 and a learning stress scale score ≥ 60. They were randomly assigned by department and class: ① Conventional mental health course group (n = 206); ② Structured education management intervention + mental health course group (n = 206). The intervention lasted for 6 weeks and was jointly designed by the university’s education management department and the mental health center. It included four structured modules: ① Stress quantification and retrospection: constructing a personal stress curve based on weekly learning workload and subjective stress levels; ② Academic time management reconstruction: through course task decomposition, weekly goal tiering, and learning pace reallocation; ③ Peer support group: weekly emotion-task debriefing conducted in groups of 6-8 people guided by trained mentors; ④ Academic planning guidance: providing individualized academic path optimization and phased progress monitoring based on students’ course performance and course selection structure. The main indicators included the PHQ-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Questionnaire (GAD-7), the learning stress scale, learning engagement, and course completion rate. Repeated measures ANOVA and a structural model of the effects of educational management were used for analysis. Results After 6 weeks of intervention, the PHQ-9 score in the structured management intervention group decreased from 13.42 ± 2.91 to 7.58 ± 2.63, a decrease of 43.53%, significantly better than the control group (p<.001). The learning stress scale score decreased by -6.21 ± 1.84 in the management intervention group, more than twice that of the control group. The learning engagement in the structured management intervention group increased by 26.42% compared to before the intervention, while the control group only increased by 9.73%, a highly significant difference (p<.01). The course completion rate in the structured management intervention group increased by 14.24% compared to before the intervention, while the control group only increased by 4.15% after the intervention. Structural equation modeling shows that the indirect effect of improved academic time management on depression accounts for 37.85% of the total effect. Discussion Collaborative intervention by higher education management and mental health education can significantly reduce the level of academic stress-related depression. Regular courses can only produce limited emotional relief, while management intervention can significantly improve learning pace and perceived sense of control. Future research will further develop a semester-level dynamic intervention model and incorporate learning behavior log data to improve accuracy.