Introduction

The global expansion of digital technologies has significantly transformed health systems, introducing new modalities of care delivery, particularly in the field of mental health. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs), understood as psychosocial interventions delivered through digital formats [1]—including teleconsultation or telepsychiatry, mobile applications, online therapy platforms, chatbots, virtual reality, and generative artificial intelligence [2]—have demonstrated a positive impact on mental health care [3, 4]. DMHIs have been valued, among other factors, for their flexibility, scalability, and ability to address needs related to mental health promotion, prevention [5, 6], and clinical management of mental disorders [7, 8].

In addition, DMHIs represent a promising alternative for strengthening the provision of mental health services in contexts characterised by geographical barriers, shortage of professionals, stigmatisation, or high costs of care [9]. However, their effective development and implementation require addressing key challenges to ensure equitable access at a global level. These include disparities in digital infrastructure, limitations in connectivity, affordability, and digital literacy [10, 11], as well as the inadequate or limited integration of cultural perspectives in intervention design [12, 13]. Failure to adequately consider these factors may compromise the relevance and effectiveness of DMHIs, especially among marginalised and culturally diverse populations [2].

This concern is particularly salient in the case of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South. The term “Global South” refers to a geopolitical category encompassing low- and middle-resource settings, predominantly located in Africa, Latin America, Oceania, and Asia, which share structural conditions rooted in historical and economic inequalities within the global system [14]. These conditions are reflected across multiple domains, including limited access to, development of, and adaptation of digital health technologies [15].

The Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South are characterised by collective ties to ancestral territories, distinct sociocultural systems, autonomous governance structures, and traditional practices of care and wellbeing [16]. However, they often face structural conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to psychosocial distress [17, 18]. Evidence indicates that these communities are disproportionately exposed to multiple risk factors, including historical and ongoing marginalisation, poverty, violence [19], environmental displacement and land dispossession [20], and limited access to essential services [21, 22]. These social determinants of mental health intersect with cultural frameworks that often differ markedly from Western biomedical models.

In addition, these communities face considerable barriers in accessing formal mental health services, as they are often located in rural or remote areas with limited health infrastructure and little or no availability of specialised mental health services [23]. Even where such services exist, they are frequently grounded in standardised biomedical approaches, with limited sensitivity to cultural beliefs, community structures, and local healing practices [24, 25]. This misalignment contributes to low coverage, institutional distrust, and the persistence of unmet psychosocial needs. Therefore, mental health interventions targeting these populations must be not only technically sound but also culturally appropriate, contextually relevant, and inclusive of local knowledge and practices [25].

In recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in studies incorporating remote consultations, materials in local languages, or hybrid approaches that integrate digital technologies with traditional knowledge systems among these populations. For instance, in Mexico, interventions have delivered mobile-based mental health support incorporating the local Mayan language [26]; in South Africa, studies have examined the involvement of young people in the design and acceptability of digital, community-based mental health solutions adapted to traditional communities in rural settings [27, 28]. However, this body of evidence remains scattered and poorly systematised.

To date, systematic reviews of DMHIs targeting Indigenous populations or traditional communities have focused predominantly on high-income countries such as Canada, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand [29–35]. Findings from these reviews have highlighted the importance of culturally contextualised design [30–32], the use of participatory approaches [31, 32, 34], the integration of digital sovereignty principles [29], the adoption of the digital interventions [33], and specific processes employed in their development [35]. However, evidence concerning the scope, nature, and cultural relevance of DMHIs implemented in Indigenous and traditional communities in the Global South remains largely unsynthesized. Directly extrapolating findings from Global North contexts to Global South settings is inadequate, due to profound cultural, economic, political, and technological differences that require specific and context-sensitive approaches.

A preliminary search of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Evidence Synthesis database did not identify any existing or ongoing scoping reviews or systematic reviews that specifically address DMHIs targeting Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South. This gap underscores the need for a scoping review that maps the types of DMHIs, their purposes, development, criteria for cultural relevance, and outcomes across countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America.

Given the emerging, diverse, and poorly systematised nature of this field of inquiry, a scoping review constitutes the most appropriate methodological approach [36], as it allows for the comprehensive description of the breadth and characteristics of available evidence in complex and culturally diverse contexts. The aim of the planned scoping review is to examine the existing evidence on DMHIs targeting Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South. Specifically, the review seeks to address the following questions:

• 1.

  What types of DMHIs have been implemented with Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South?

• 2.

  For what mental health purposes or needs—such as mental health promotion, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of mental conditions—have these DMHIs been used?

• 3.

  How have these DMHIs been developed and/or culturally adapted for Indigenous and traditional populations?

• 4.

  What outcomes—clinical, psychosocial, or implementation-related—have been reported in relation to these DMHIs?

Materials

This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews [36]. Reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines [37].

A scoping review approach was selected as it is particularly suited to mapping the breadth and nature of available evidence in areas that are emerging, under-researched, or complex. This methodology allows for the inclusion of diverse study designs—quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods—as well as opinion-based or non-empirical sources that may not meet the inclusion criteria of systematic reviews. Such flexibility is especially relevant when examining interventions implemented in culturally and geographically diverse contexts, where local knowledge and informal documentation may be central sources of information.

Procedure

This scoping review will be conducted in four consecutive stages: (1) identification of studies; (2) study selection; (3) data extraction; and (4) data analysis. This structured approach facilitates a comprehensive mapping of diverse and contextually situated evidence on DMHIs targeting culturally diverse populations across the Global South.

Expected results

This scoping review is expected to generate a comprehensive map of the available evidence on DMHIs targeting Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the Global South. By synthesising diverse sources across methodological approaches and geographical regions, the review will identify the range, characteristics, and cultural relevance of DMHIs implemented in these populations.

The results will include a descriptive summary of the types of DMHIs identified, detailing their digital modalities—such as mobile applications, chatbots, telepsychiatry, or virtual reality—and the formats through which they are delivered. In addition, the review will classify the mental health purposes addressed by these interventions, including prevention, early intervention, treatment, and well-being promotion. It will also provide an overview of the development processes and cultural adaptation strategies used, with particular attention to participatory design, linguistic and symbolic adaptation, and the integration of traditional knowledge systems.

Furthermore, the review will summarise reported outcomes associated with these interventions, categorised as clinical (e.g., symptom reduction), psychosocial (e.g., empowerment, stigma reduction), or implementation-related (e.g., acceptability, feasibility, scalability). Finally, the study will identify knowledge gaps, methodological limitations, and areas where further research or culturally competent innovation is needed. These findings are expected to inform researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in the development of contextually relevant digital mental health strategies for underserved and culturally diverse settings. Ultimately, the review aims to contribute to advancing equity in global mental health and to strengthening the evidence base for inclusive digital health solutions.