MoodGYM improves population wellbeing
In a large UK web RCT, automated MoodGYM raised mental well-being versus wait-list control despite high intervention attrition.
Source
Effectiveness of a web-based cognitive-behavioral tool to improve mental well-being in the general population: randomized controlled trial
Study at a glance
- Design
- RCT — Fully automated MoodGYM vs waiting-list; ITT mixed models
- N
- N=3070 · Randomized NHS Choices users; high differential attrition
- Population
- NHS Choices website users randomized to MoodGYM or wait-list
- Outcome
- WEMWBS well-being at 6 and 12 weeks
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MoodGYM improves population wellbeing
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
3070 people were randomized
Of these, 3070 returned the completed consent forms and baseline measures and were randomized into the study.
Attrition was 73.5% in intervention and 26.9% in control
Attrition was 73.5% in the intervention arm and 26.9% in the control arm (risk ratio 2.76, 95% CI 2.53-3.02).
What they did
Users of the NHS Choices site were randomized to fully automated MoodGYM or a waiting-list control. Well-being (WEMWBS) and related outcomes were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks in an intention-to-treat mixed-model analysis.
What they found
3070 people were randomized. The intervention × time interaction was highly significant: adjusted WEMWBS differences favored MoodGYM by about 2.5 points at 6 weeks and 2.9 at 12 weeks (≈Cohen d 0.34). Attrition was much higher in the intervention arm (73.5%) than control (26.9%).
The limits
What it doesn't show
High differential dropout can bias estimates even with ITT modeling. The trial targets general well-being, not diagnosed anxiety disorders, and wait-list controls may inflate apparent benefit.
Key terms
- MoodGYM
- Fully automated web CBT package originally built to prevent depression.
- WEMWBS
- Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, the primary outcome.
- Waiting-list control
- Comparator arm without the active digital program during follow-up.
- Intention-to-treat
- Analyzing participants in assigned arms regardless of adherence.
- Intervention × time interaction
- Test of whether groups change differently across follow-ups.
- Attrition
- Loss to follow-up; here much higher with MoodGYM than control.
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What was MoodGYM compared with?
Common questions
How many were randomized?
3070 people completed consent/baseline and were randomized.
What was primary outcome?
Mental well-being on WEMWBS at 6 and 12 weeks.
Did MoodGYM help?
Yes—significant intervention × time effect favoring MoodGYM.
What was the attrition problem?
73.5% lost in intervention vs 26.9% in control.
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