School-based mental health support for students with intellectual disability in the Middle East and North Africa: a 26-year scoping review
- 1Department of Special Education, College of Education, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University , ,
Abstract
Students with intellectual disability (ID) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region face significant mental health challenges, yet the extent and nature of school-based support for them remain unclear. This scoping review mapped the English-language evidence on school-based mental health support for this population. Six sources were searched for studies published between January 2000 and May 2026. The initial search identified 255 records, of which 210 were screened, and an update search identified one further study. Six studies were included; two met all eligibility criteria and four met them in part. One study evaluated an intervention, Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy, and reported improved self-esteem; it was delivered in residential welfare centers rather than schools. One study reported a strong association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms among students with mild ID. Four studies surveyed 1,037 practitioners in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, three of them in mixed disability populations. Practitioners reported moderate and uneven preparedness in behavioral assessment, social skills training, trauma-informed practice, and mental health support, and self-efficacy and perceived school support were associated with teachers' attitudes toward supporting student mental health. No school-delivered intervention was identified, and no included study reported follow-up or a family component. Overall, the English-language evidence identified by this review is small, heterogeneous, and geographically concentrated, and few students with ID took part directly. The findings point to a need for culturally adapted school-based interventions, stronger mental health content in teacher preparation, and explicit inclusion of students with ID in regional education and mental health frameworks.Systematic review registration
https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/HJQMR.
Related
- Conditional willingness to care for patients with Ebola virus disease: a qualitative study of risk-benefit perceptions and support needs of clinical students at a Ugandan medical school
- How do support networks influence physical activity participation among adults with a learning disability? A scoping review protocol
- How often do Australian government-funded interventional trials exclude adults with intellectual disability? A retrospective registry analysis of ANZCTR records, 2022-2024.
- An adaptive technical and behavioral approach for biomarker acquisition in autism with intellectual disability
- Nutraceutical, Nutritional and Phytotherapeutic Interventions for Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Intellectual Disability: Mechanisms and Clinical Evidence
BibTeX
@article{alshehri2026schoolbased,
title = {{School-based mental health support for students with intellectual disability in the Middle East and North Africa: a 26-year scoping review}},
author = {Majed Alshehri},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1896262},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13716758},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - School-based mental health support for students with intellectual disability in the Middle East and North Africa: a 26-year scoping review
AU - Majed Alshehri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1896262
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13716758
AB - Students with intellectual disability (ID) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region face significant mental health challenges, yet the extent and nature of school-based support for them remain unclear. This scoping review mapped the English-language evidence on school-based mental health support for this population. Six sources were searched for studies published between January 2000 and May 2026. The initial search identified 255 records, of which 210 were screened, and an update search identified one further study. Six studies were included; two met all eligibility criteria and four met them in part. One study evaluated an intervention, Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy, and reported improved self-esteem; it was delivered in residential welfare centers rather than schools. One study reported a strong association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms among students with mild ID. Four studies surveyed 1,037 practitioners in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, three of them in mixed disability populations. Practitioners reported moderate and uneven preparedness in behavioral assessment, social skills training, trauma-informed practice, and mental health support, and self-efficacy and perceived school support were associated with teachers' attitudes toward supporting student mental health. No school-delivered intervention was identified, and no included study reported follow-up or a family component. Overall, the English-language evidence identified by this review is small, heterogeneous, and geographically concentrated, and few students with ID took part directly. The findings point to a need for culturally adapted school-based interventions, stronger mental health content in teacher preparation, and explicit inclusion of students with ID in regional education and mental health frameworks.Systematic review registration https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/HJQMR.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -