Podcasts can be effective for improving listeners' wellbeing and mental health

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-03-20 05:00

Australia; NSW; VIC

Image by Jake Parkinson from Pixabay

Podcasts can be an effective medium for improving listeners' wellbeing and attitudes across many types of mental health, according to a scoping review by Aussie authors that looked at how podcasts are being used as a platform for mental health-related interventions. The study included papers on audio-only podcasts with at least one mental health-related outcome including symptoms, treatment or management of mental health issues, mental health literacy or knowledge, and mental illness stigma, prejudice or discrimination. The most common podcast interventions were meditation or mindfulness exercises and psychoeducational or therapeutic content, which both made up 40% of the studies. They found that there is some evidence suggesting that podcasts on various mental health-related outcomes, including improvements in mindfulness, body image, and stigmatising attitudes are effective. The authors say that these podcasts show promising mental health-related outcomes worthy of further study and refinement.

Journal/
conference: PLOS Mental Health

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Melbourne, The University of New England

Funder: This study was part of a PhD study funded by the National Stigma Report Card project, which was led by SANE in partnership with the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences with the support of the Paul Ramsay Foundation. This review did not receive any specific funding and the funder had no role in the preparation of this manuscript.

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