{ "abstract": "Purpose: This study examined the global landscape of mental health literacy (MHL) education for health professions students, focusing on publication trends, intervention designs, pedagogical approaches, MHL domains addressed, evaluation methods, and contextual influences. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, an Evidence and Gap Mapping (EGM) scoping review was conducted to identify and visually synthesize MHL education interventions. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost (including CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ERIC), and APA PsycArticles (February 1997-May 2025). The included studies involved pre-licensure health professions students and implemented structured educational interventions explicitly targeting MHL domains. The data were extracted using a standardized framework and analyzed through descriptive synthesis and visual mapping to identify research clusters and gaps. PROSPERO registration: CRD420251050891. Results: Fifty-five studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Notably, the number of publications increased significantly after 2016, with most of the evidence coming from Europe, the Western Pacific, and the Americas, while representation from the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions was limited. Quasi-experimental designs were the most common, characterized by short-term, classroom-based interventions primarily targeting specific professions, particularly nursing and medicine. Although traditional didactic teaching methods remained prevalent, experiential strategies such as simulation, role-play, and reflective practices were increasingly adopted. Within the existing body of evidence, interventions predominantly emphasized knowledge, attitudes, and confidence, whereas skills development, behavioral change, self-awareness, and help-seeking were less consistently addressed. Furthermore, evaluations mostly relied on short-term, self-reported outcomes, with few studies examining behavioral change or long-term impacts. Conclusions: MHL education for future health professionals is expanding but remains unevenly distributed, pedagogically conservative, and methodologically limited. Advancing the field will require longitudinal, theory-informed, and experiential approaches, stronger evaluation designs, integration of lived-experience perspectives, and targeted capacity-building in low- and middle-income settings.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates", "Zayed University, College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Dubai, United Arab Emirates", "Nursing Department, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates", "Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Benha University, Banha, Egypt", "Department of Physiology, Benha University, Banha, Egypt", "Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Population Studies, and Health Promotion, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia", "Research group for health and wellbeing of women and children, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Indonesia", "Faculty of Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 13, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Rouwida ElKhalil", "orcid": "0000-0002-2031-837X" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Noon Alrabee", "orcid": "0000-0003-4053-8246" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Anuradha P. Gaydhanker", "orcid": "0009-0008-4814-4667" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Wafaa El Zaatari" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Imad Maalouf", "orcid": "0000-0002-9440-5855" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Mohammed AlMaqbali" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Yasir Ahmed Mohammed Elhadi" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Moustafa Sherif", "orcid": "0000-0002-8781-5098" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Aya Darwish", "orcid": "0009-0009-7251-5525" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Messaouda Belfakir" }, { "affs": [ 5, 6 ], "name": "Eny Qurniyawati", "orcid": "0000-0002-3811-763X" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Abdulsalam El Mikkawi" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Mohamad AlMekkawi" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/btf1djkhxme60.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360403", "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13712762/", "id": "btf1djkhxme60", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360403", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Biology and Life Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Cartography" ], [ "heading", "Cognitive Psychology" ], [ "heading", "Cognitive Science" ], [ "heading", "Earth Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Educational Status" ], [ "heading", "Geography" ], [ "heading", "Global Health" ], [ "heading", "Health Care" ], [ "heading", "Health Education and Awareness" ], [ "heading", "Human Learning" ], [ "heading", "Learning" ], [ "heading", "Learning and Memory" ], [ "heading", "Medicine and Health Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Mental Health and Psychiatry" ], [ "heading", "Neuroscience" ], [ "heading", "People and Places" ], [ "heading", "Population Groupings" ], [ "heading", "Professions" ], [ "heading", "Psychology" ], [ "heading", "Public and Occupational Health" ], [ "heading", "Research Article" ], [ "heading", "Social Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Undergraduates" ], [ "openalex", "3207|Mental Health Treatment and Access" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive science/Cognitive psychology/Learning/Human learning" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Learning and memory/Learning/Human learning" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Learning/Human learning" ], [ "plos", "/Earth sciences/Geography" ], [ "plos", "/Earth sciences/Geography/Cartography" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Health education and awareness" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Global health" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Population groupings/Educational status/Undergraduates" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Population groupings/Professions" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Learning/Human learning" ] ], "openalex": "W7223791513", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0360403&type=printable", "pmcid": "PMC13712762", "pmid": "42945323", "published": "2026-10-27", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/btf1djkhxme60.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360403", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360403" }, { "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:16Z", "native_id": "PMC13712762", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360403" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:neuroscience", "subfield": "neuroscience" }, { "field": "earth", "origin": "heading:Earth Sciences", "subfield": "general" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:global health", "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:mental health and psychiatry", "subfield": "psychiatry" } ], "title": "Mental health literacy training interventions for future health professionals: An evidence and gap mapping scoping review", "title_text": "Mental health literacy training interventions for future health professionals: An evidence and gap mapping scoping review", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:16Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/btf1djkhxme60", "venue": "PLOS One", "versions": [] }