Effect of mind–body therapies on anxiety, depression and sleep quality in college students

A network meta-analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID22075192
AuthorsDingnan Zhang (0000-0002-2044-8828, Hohai University, corresponding author), Hongchang Yang (0000-0002-7429-8079, Hohai University), Yubo Gao (0000-0002-6852-1748, Hohai University), Shenghua Min (Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics)
Year2026
Volume14
Pages1767300-1767300
Publication date2026-03-19
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2026.1767300
PMID41938920
OpenAlexW7139004865
LanguageEN
References cited81

Introduction: Mind-body therapies (MBTs) have demonstrated beneficial effects on anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in college students. However, few studies have compared the efficacy of different types of MBTs. Therefore, we conducted this study to compare and rank the relative effects of various MBTs on these outcomes. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across seven electronic databases (inception-July 8, 2025) for randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of MBTs on depression, anxiety and sleep quality among college students. Literature selection was performed in accordance with the PICOS framework, and data extraction was carried out independently by two reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed via the Cochrane risk of bias tool, version 2 (RoB 2.0) and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. Both pairwise and network meta-analyses were performed via Stata software, which generated forest, network, and funnel plots. Furthermore, we adopted the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) to evaluate and rank the intervention effects of different MBTs on depression, anxiety and sleep quality among college students. Results: Twenty-seven eligible studies with 2,664 participants were included. This network meta-analysis revealed significant differences in the impact of MBTs on sleep quality among college students compared with the control group. Baduanjin [SMD = -1.29, 95% CrI (-2.67, -0.02)] and Qigong [SMD = -2.24, 95% CrI (-3.85, -0.44)] demonstrated the most notable effects. Additionally, for anxiety, yoga [SMD = -3.72, 95% CrI (-6.26, -1.47)] was significantly more effective than the control. Furthermore, for depression, Qigong [SMD = -3.9, 95% CrI (-5.76, -1.37)] was significantly better than the control group. Furthermore, Qigong was significantly more effective than yoga [SMD = 3.78, 95% CrI (0.96, 5.99)] and Baduanjin [SMD = 3.35, 95% CrI (0.03, 5.27)]. The SUCRA ranking identified Qigong (SUCRA = 90.5%) as the best intervention for sleep quality, yoga (SUCRA = 89.0%) for anxiety, and Qigong (SUCRA = 95.0%) for depression. Conclusion: The current evidence indicates that Qigong is the optimal intervention for alleviating depression and improving sleep quality, whereas yoga is the most effective intervention for alleviating anxiety. Nevertheless, due to the limited number of studies included, further research is needed to enhance the reliability of the findings. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251104941, identifier (CRD420251104941)

Anxiety · Data extraction · Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index · Randomized controlled trial · Sleep quality · Biofield Effects and Biophysics · Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions

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