Protocol for a systematic review of mental healthcare for Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in high-income countries
Sreeja Daliparthy, Faissal Sharif, Mohammad Sharif RazaiIntroduction
In the past five decades, Afghanistan has experienced one of the world’s largest and most protracted displacement crises. Stressors experienced during the pre-migration, transit and post-resettlement stages of asylum-seeking and refugee journeys can trigger or exacerbate adverse mental health outcomes. More than 750 000 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers reside in high-income countries (HICs), yet no recent review has synthesised evidence on their mental health status, barriers and enablers to well-being and accessing mental healthcare, and interventions and strategies to improve mental health outcomes in this population. This protocol describes a systematic review of literature reporting on the mental health experiences, barriers to and facilitators of mental well-being and interventions aimed at improving mental health outcomes among Afghan refugees and asylum seekers living in HICs.
Methods and analysis
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines will be followed. MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CABI Global Health and APA PsycINFO databases will be searched using keywords and Medical Subject Headings terms related to the research aims, developed and refined with the support of a medical librarian. Studies will be selected through duplicate title and abstract screening followed by full-text review against predefined eligibility criteria. Data extraction will use a structured template created for this review. A mixed-methods synthesis will be undertaken, with descriptive statistics used to summarise quantitative findings and narrative synthesis used to capture qualitative data. Findings will be integrated and analysed by subgroups where appropriate to account for expected heterogeneity in the data. Study quality will be appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval is not required, as no primary data will be collected. Findings will be disseminated through open-access peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
PROSPERO registration number
CRD420261337124