Digital mental health interventions in Indigenous and traditional communities of the Global South: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have demonstrated considerable potential to address mental health needs across diverse populations by offering scalable, adaptable, and cost-effective solutions. Nevertheless, their implementation in the Global South-particularly among Indigenous peoples and traditional communities-remains scattered and insufficiently systematised. These communities frequently face structural inequalities, limited access to formal mental health services, and distinct sociocultural frameworks that necessitate the development of culturally appropriate digital interventions. To date, existing reviews have focused predominantly on high-income countries, highlighting the urgent need to synthesise context-specific evidence from low- and middle-income settings. Therefore, this protocol outlines the design of a scoping review aimed at examining the available evidence on DMHIs targeting Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South. The scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews, and the results will be reported in line with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. It will include articles resulting from primary research, systematic reviews, and opinion papers related to DMHIs in Indigenous and traditional populations in the Global South. No restrictions will be applied regarding the languages and year of publication. The search will be conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Embase, BVS Lilacs, African Index Medicus, and Index Medicus for the South-East Asia Region. Study selection and data extraction will be performed independently by three reviewers. The synthesis will include a numerical summary to provide an overview of the characteristics of the included studies, as well as a qualitative analysis aimed at identifying, analysing, and reporting recurring patterns and emerging categories within the data. The results will inform the development of future culturally competent digital mental health strategies tailored to the needs of Indigenous and traditional communities in the Global South.

Keywords

digital health / mental health / Indigenous peoples / ethnic and racial minorities / low- and middle-income countries / Global South

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