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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS Mental Health

Unseen and underserved: A scoping review of perinatal mental health interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Basil H. Aboul-Enein1
  • Suha Ballout2
  • Patricia J. Kelly3
  1. 1College of Arts & Sciences, Health & Society Program, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States of America
  2. 2Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
  3. 3School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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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.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{aboulenein2026unseen,
  title = {{Unseen and underserved: A scoping review of perinatal mental health interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa}},
  author = {Basil H. Aboul-Enein and Suha Ballout and Patricia J. Kelly},
  journal = {PLOS Mental Health},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739},
  url = {https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Unseen and underserved: A scoping review of perinatal mental health interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa
AU  - Basil H. Aboul-Enein
AU  - Suha Ballout
AU  - Patricia J. Kelly
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - PLOS Mental Health
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739
UR  - https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000739
AB  - 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.
SN  - 2837-8156
ER  -