Economic analyses of interventions for student mental health and wellbeing: protocol for a systematic review

BackgroundStudents in higher education exhibit higher rates of mental health problems than the general population and often lack access to effective treatments and services. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated already high levels of need. Policymakers must have the relevant evidence to inform resource allocation and investment decisions about student mental health services. AimWe aim to identify and summarise economic analyses of interventions to prevent and treat mental health problems in university students in terms of the studies findings and the methods used. MethodWe will review all published economic analyses relating to interventions designed to prevent or treat student mental health problems. We will search the following databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, EconLit, PsycINFO and the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Databases (NHS EED). The review will be conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Key data items relating to the methods and results of the included studies will be extracted, and the resulting database will be made publicly available. RegistrationThis review is registered on PROSPERO (ID CRD42021250228) FundingThis research is funded by UK Research and Innovation (grant number ES/S00324X/1).