Digital mental health interventions in indigenous and traditional communities of the Global South: A scoping review
1
Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are increasingly promoted as scalable and cost-effective strategies to reduce global mental health gaps(1). In the Global South, Indigenous peoples and traditional communities face disproportionate psychosocial stressors, and limited access to and low cultural relevance of mental health services(2). Although evidence on DMHIs is expanding, existing reviews largely focus on high-income settings, offering limited insight into how digital mental health is designed for Indigenous and traditional populations. This scoping review synthesizes evidence on DMHIs targeting these populations in the Global South.
METHODS:
A scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines(3,4). Searches were performed in June 2025 across eight databases. All study designs were eligible, with no restrictions on language or publication year. Study selection was completed independently by three reviewers, and data were extracted and analyzed using thematic analysis.
RESULTS:
Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted mainly in Latin America (53%), Asia (33%), and Africa (13%), and were predominantly qualitative or mixed-methods (60%), published between 2019 and 2023. DMHIs included mobile applications, SMS-based tools, chatbots, and telehealth platforms, delivered through synchronous and asynchronous modalities via smartphones and web-based systems. Interventions focused primarily on mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention. Indigenous or traditional communities were not always the primary target population. Cultural adaptation was heterogeneous and often limited; the strategies mainly involved linguistic adaptations and reporting of participatory or co-design approaches was found in only few studies. Outcomes focused on acceptability and feasibility, with limited evidence of clinical effectiveness.
CONCLUSIONS:
Evidence on DMHIs for Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South is growing but remains fragmented. Despite increasing attention to cultural adaptation, most interventions lack cultural integration and outcome evaluation, highlighting the need for culturally grounded digital mental health approaches for equitable public health impact.
Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are increasingly promoted as scalable and cost-effective strategies to reduce global mental health gaps(1). In the Global South, Indigenous peoples and traditional communities face disproportionate psychosocial stressors, and limited access to and low cultural relevance of mental health services(2). Although evidence on DMHIs is expanding, existing reviews largely focus on high-income settings, offering limited insight into how digital mental health is designed for Indigenous and traditional populations. This scoping review synthesizes evidence on DMHIs targeting these populations in the Global South.
METHODS:
A scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines(3,4). Searches were performed in June 2025 across eight databases. All study designs were eligible, with no restrictions on language or publication year. Study selection was completed independently by three reviewers, and data were extracted and analyzed using thematic analysis.
RESULTS:
Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted mainly in Latin America (53%), Asia (33%), and Africa (13%), and were predominantly qualitative or mixed-methods (60%), published between 2019 and 2023. DMHIs included mobile applications, SMS-based tools, chatbots, and telehealth platforms, delivered through synchronous and asynchronous modalities via smartphones and web-based systems. Interventions focused primarily on mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention. Indigenous or traditional communities were not always the primary target population. Cultural adaptation was heterogeneous and often limited; the strategies mainly involved linguistic adaptations and reporting of participatory or co-design approaches was found in only few studies. Outcomes focused on acceptability and feasibility, with limited evidence of clinical effectiveness.
CONCLUSIONS:
Evidence on DMHIs for Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South is growing but remains fragmented. Despite increasing attention to cultural adaptation, most interventions lack cultural integration and outcome evaluation, highlighting the need for culturally grounded digital mental health approaches for equitable public health impact.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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