Involvement of Indigenous young people in the design and evaluation of digital mental health interventions: a scoping review protocol

Josie Povey,Tricia Nagel,Anne Lowell,Michelle Torok,Kylie Dingwall,Michelle Sweet,Patj Patj Janama Robert Mills,Fiona Shand,Buaphrao Raphiphatthana

doi:10.1186/s13643-021-01685-7

Josie Povey, Tricia Nagel + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01685-7

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Abstract

BackgroundIndigenous young people worldwide are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns due to ongoing inequity and disadvantage. Digital mental health (dMH) interventions are identified as a potential approach to improving access to mental health treatment for Indigenous youth. Although involvement in the development and evaluation of dMH resources is widely recommended, there is limited evidence to guide engagement of Indigenous young people in these processes. This scoping review aims to examine the methods used to involve Indigenous young people in the development or evaluation of dMH interventions.MethodsArticles published in English, involving Indigenous young people (aged 10–24 years) in the development or evaluation of dMH interventions, originating from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA will be eligible for inclusion. PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost databases (Academic Search Premiere, Computer and Applied Science complete, CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsychArticles, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences collection, APA PsychInfo) will be searched to identify eligible articles (from January 1990 onwards). Infomit and Google Scholar (limited to 200 results) will be searched for grey literature. Two reviewers will independently screen citations, abstracts and full-text articles. Study methods, methodologies, dMH intervention details, participant information and engagement, and dissemination methods will be extracted, analysed (utilising content analysis), and qualitatively assessed for alignment with best practice ethical guidelines for undertaking Indigenous health research. A narrative summary of findings will be presented. Reporting will follow the Consolidated Criteria for Strengthening Reporting of Health Research involving Indigenous peoples (CONSIDER) and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.DiscussionTo date, there are no reviews which analyse engagement of Indigenous young people in the development and evaluation of dMH interventions. This review will appraise alignment of current practice with best practice guidelines to inform future research. It will highlight appropriate methods for the engagement of young people in study processes, providing guidance for health practitioners, policy makers, and researchers working in the field of Indigenous youth and dMH.Systematic review registrationOpen Science Framework (osf.io/2nkc6).

Highlights

Indigenous young people worldwide are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns due to ongoing inequity and disadvantage
This review will appraise alignment of current practice with best practice guidelines to inform future research. It will highlight appropriate methods for the engagement of young people in study processes, providing guidance for health practitioners, policy makers, and researchers working in the field of Indigenous youth and Digital mental health (dMH)
Discussion between consultants and the research team will review and refine preliminary findings, aiming to reach consensus. This consultation phase, originally outlined by Arksey and O’Malley [44] and later refined and defined as necessary, by Levac et al [42] enhances rigour, provides additional sources of information, perspectives, and meaning, and increases the applicability of research findings. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current methods described in the literature regarding the involvement of Indigenous young people in development or evaluation of dMH interventions

Summary

Introduction

Indigenous young people worldwide are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns due to ongoing inequity and disadvantage. Involvement in the development and evaluation of dMH resources is widely recommended, there is limited evidence to guide engagement of Indigenous young people in these processes. The majority of Indigenous young people worldwide are resilient, proud of their culture, and possess social capital beyond any other recent generation [1,2,3]. They remain at heightened risk of developing mental illness in adolescence compared with their nonIndigenous counterparts [4]. Indigenous young people worldwide are less likely to access mental health treatment than nonmarginalised young people [5, 6]. Recent increased availability of technology and connectivity has been identified as an opportunity to increase access to health services within underserved communities and marginalised youth populations [6]

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