Digital mental health interventions for adolescents and young people (10-24 years) in Africa: A protocol for a systematic review of mental health outcomes, engagement, and equity considerations.

Q1 Medicine

Wellcome Open Research Pub Date : 2025-07-04 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.24117.1

Aggrey Gisiora Mokaya, Nondumiso Michelle Dlamini, Syethemba Nkosi, Mpilonhle Thembinkosi Nzuza, Thandeka Smith, Grace Nduku Wambua, Xanthe Hunt, Alan Stein, Nothando Ngwenya

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Adolescents and young people (AYP) aged 10-24 years in Africa experience a high burden of mental health disorders but face significant barriers to accessing care, including a severe shortage of mental health professionals, stigma, and limited integration of mental health services into primary healthcare. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer a promising avenue to bridge these gaps by providing accessible, scalable, and potentially equitable support. However, little is known about the effectiveness, acceptability, and equity impacts of these interventions among African AYP.

Objective: This systematic review aims to identify, characterize, and synthesize evidence on DMHIs targeting adolescents and young people in Africa, focusing on mental health outcomes, engagement, feasibility, and equity considerations.

Methods: We will search PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost databases, as well as the PsyberGuide repository, for empirical studies published between January 1, 2015, and April 3, 2025. Eligible studies must evaluate a digital mental health intervention among AYP aged 10-24 years living in Africa. Study designs will include randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, observational studies, and mixed-methods studies. Outcomes of interest include mental health symptom reduction (depression, anxiety, stress), psychological well-being, engagement, feasibility, acceptability, and equity-related factors such as gender inclusivity and digital access. Risk of bias will be assessed using RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools, and evidence quality will be rated using the GRADE approach. Quantitative synthesis will be conducted where feasible, otherwise narrative synthesis will be employed.

Conclusion: This review will provide a comprehensive synthesis of available evidence on DMHIs for adolescents and young people in Africa, offering critical insights into their effectiveness, feasibility, and contribution to promoting mental health equity. The findings aim to inform the development, implementation, and policy integration of digital mental health strategies tailored to young populations in diverse African contexts.

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针对非洲青少年和年轻人（10-24岁）的数字精神卫生干预措施：系统审查精神卫生结果、参与和公平考虑因素的议定书。

背景：非洲10-24岁的青少年和年轻人（AYP）承受着精神健康障碍的沉重负担，但在获得护理方面面临重大障碍，包括精神卫生专业人员严重短缺、耻辱以及将精神卫生服务纳入初级卫生保健的程度有限。数字精神卫生干预措施（DMHIs）通过提供可获得、可扩展和可能公平的支持，为弥合这些差距提供了一条有希望的途径。然而，人们对这些干预措施在非洲AYP中的有效性、可接受性和公平影响知之甚少。目的：本系统综述旨在识别、描述和综合针对非洲青少年和年轻人的DMHIs的证据，重点关注心理健康结果、参与、可行性和公平性考虑。方法：我们将检索PubMed、Scopus、Web of Science和EBSCOhost数据库以及PsyberGuide数据库，检索2015年1月1日至2025年4月3日之间发表的实证研究。符合条件的研究必须评估生活在非洲的10-24岁青少年青少年的数字心理健康干预。研究设计将包括随机对照试验、准实验研究、观察研究和混合方法研究。感兴趣的结果包括心理健康症状减轻（抑郁、焦虑、压力）、心理健康、参与度、可行性、可接受性以及性别包容性和数字获取等与公平相关的因素。将使用rob2和ROBINS-I工具评估偏倚风险，并使用GRADE方法评估证据质量。可行时将进行定量综合，否则将采用叙述综合。结论：本综述将全面综合非洲青少年和年轻人DMHIs的现有证据，对其有效性、可行性和对促进精神卫生公平的贡献提供重要见解。研究结果旨在为为非洲不同背景下的年轻人量身定制的数字心理健康战略的制定、实施和政策整合提供信息。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Wellcome Open Research Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (all)

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

426

审稿时长

1 weeks

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