Bridging the mental health gap for underserved young adults: efficacy of inspirational video intervention

The growing instability of the global economy has intensified survival pressures on young people in underdeveloped regions, substantially elevating their risk of mental health problems. Compounded by a lack of professional mental health services in these areas, there is an urgent need for low-cost and highly accessible interventions that can strengthen their psychological resources and support their mental well-being. To address this need, Study 1 used a cross-sectional survey with 1,037 participants (Mage = 20.16) to establish the foundational relationship among the key constructs. The results showed that psychological capital was a strong positive predictor of mental health. On this basis, study 2 employed a 2 (group: inspirational vs. control) × 3 (time: T1, T2, T3) mixed design with 39 participants (Mage = 20.56), featuring a five-day short-video intervention. Assessments were conducted one day before the intervention (T1), after three days of watching videos (T2), and one week after the intervention ended (T3). The findings revealed that improvements in psychological capital and mental health were not immediate; instead, significant positive effects emerged only at the one-week follow-up. Further mechanistic analysis indicated that psychological capital served as a key internal pathway linking the short-video intervention to various mental health outcomes. Specifically, it fully mediated the impact on core self-evaluations and partially mediated general mental health. By validating the effectiveness of video interventions, this study offers a scalable digital solution for fostering internal mental resources and addressing the mental health service gap among underserved young populations.