Effect of social and digital media mental health messaging on mental health help-seeking behaviors in the sub-Saharan African population: A systematic review protocol

TL;DR

This paper outlines a systematic review protocol to assess how social and digital media messaging affects mental health help-seeking behaviors in sub-Saharan Africa.

Contribution

The study introduces a systematic review protocol to evaluate the impact of digital media on mental health help-seeking in a region with limited access to care.

Findings

The review will assess the effects of social and digital media on mental health knowledge and help-seeking behaviors in sub-Saharan Africa.

It will analyze patterns across delivery channels and identify gaps in current evidence.

The synthesis aims to inform culturally sensitive interventions to improve mental health communication in the region.

Abstract

Mental health is a major public health concern, with disproportionate burdens in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where access to care is limited and stigma remains high. Social and digital platforms, including social media, mobile health (mHealth) applications, and SMS-based messaging, provide opportunities for information sharing, peer engagement, and tailored interventions that may enhance literacy and normalize help-seeking. Yet, they pose risks, including misinformation, exposure to harmful content, and reinforcement of stigma in diverse contexts. Despite this potential, evidence from SSA on the effects of social and digital media messaging on mental health knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and help-seeking is scarce. This systematic review will assess the effect of social and digital media mental health messaging on help-seeking behaviors in SSA. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Psychological Information Database (PsycINFO), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Communication and Mass Media Complete, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, Educational Resource Information Centre (ERIC), ProQuest Sociology, Google Scholar and Embase will be systematically queried using predefined keywords without language restrictions to ensure comprehensive evidence capture. Eligible studies will include interventions delivering mental health messaging through social media, mHealth applications, SMS, web-based platforms, or hybrid approaches, analyzing behavioral and psychological outcomes, and any kind of intervention studies. Methodological quality and risk of bias will be assessed using validated tools appropriate to each study design, including the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool, Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I), and Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Where appropriate, data will be synthesized with or without meta-analysis. This synthesis will clarify how social and digital media shape mental health outcomes, describe patterns across delivery channels, identify gaps, and inform culturally sensitive interventions to improve communication and promote mental health help-seeking in SSA.

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