Effectiveness of mental health literacy interventions for young people in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

Background
Young people in sub-Saharan Africa face severe mental health issues, including high prevalence rates of mental health disorders, limited access to mental health care, widespread stigma associated with mental illness and poor help-seeking behaviour. Mental health literacy among young people in sub-Saharan Africa is critically low. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the mental health literacy interventions implemented for young people in sub-Saharan Africa.
Method
This review used the PRISMA guidelines. Searches were carried out across three databases which included Medline, PsycINFO and Embase for published articles up to September 2025. The eligibility criteria utilised the SPIDER framework. The Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies - of Interventions tool (ROBINS-I) tool and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) were used to assess the quality of the studies. A narrative approach was used to synthesise this review.
Results
Eleven studies were included. All reported improvement in at least one outcome domain: knowledge improved in all 11 studies, attitudes in 6, stigma in 5, and help-seeking behaviour in 3. Interventions were mainly school-based or multi-component and included psychoeducation, life-skills training, peer or teacher education, radio programmes, and community-linked models. Reporting on accessibility, cost, and workforce requirements was limited.
Conclusion
This review has shown the effectiveness and nature of the mental health literacy interventions targeted at young people in sub-Saharan Africa. Future research should evaluate the long-term effectiveness of existing mental health literacy interventions.