{
  "abstract": "Maternal mental health (MMH) remains a critical public health issue across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the high burden, access to culturally appropriate and evidence-based mental health interventions remains limited. This scoping review examines interventions targeting mental health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women across SSA countries. Guided by PRISMA-ScR and Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, a comprehensive search was conducted across 14 electronic databases for peer-reviewed intervention studies published in English between 2000 and March 2026. A total of 57 studies across 18 SSA countries were identified with interventions primarily focused on the individual or mother-infant level. The majority used strong research methods, with widely varying intervention content, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, problem-solving therapy, psychoeducation, and community-based programs, often delivered by community health workers, focusing on problem-solving skills, and involving cash transfers. While most studies reported reductions in depressive symptoms and improved psychosocial outcomes, few addressed scalability, health system integration, or cost-effectiveness. Few studies worked with health professionals or included technology interventions. A wide range of mental health interventions show promise in addressing perinatal mental health in SSA. However, gaps remain in scaling up sustainable, culturally relevant, and system-integrated interventions. Future efforts should prioritize provider education, health system strengthening, and evaluation of economic impact to enhance MMH outcomes across the region. To have a significant impact on perinatal mental health, future interventions that focus on cost-effectiveness, scalability, health professions education, and integration of technology are needed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Arts & Sciences, Health & Society Program, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States of America",
    "Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom",
    "School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Basil H. Aboul-Enein"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Suha Ballout"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Patricia J. Kelly"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/79fsazhrzgk07.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739",
  "id": "79fsazhrzgk07",
  "issns": [
    "2837-8156"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Clinical medicine/Clinical trials/Randomized controlled trials"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Psychological and psychosocial issues"
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      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Mental health therapies"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Mood disorders/Depression"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Pediatrics/Child development"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Pharmacology/Drug research and development/Clinical trials/Randomized controlled trials"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Women's health/Maternal health/Pregnancy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Women's health/Obstetrics and gynecology/Pregnancy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Population groupings/Families/Mothers"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Clinical trials/Randomized controlled trials"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215102766",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/79fsazhrzgk07.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:37Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:clinical trials",
      "subfield": "clinical-trials"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:mental health and psychiatry",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:pediatrics",
      "subfield": "reproductive-child"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Unseen and underserved: A scoping review of perinatal mental health interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa",
  "title_text": "Unseen and underserved: A scoping review of perinatal mental health interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/79fsazhrzgk07",
  "venue": "PLOS Mental Health",
  "versions": []
}