Black African men’s perception of mental health in Africa: Scoping review protocol

Abstract

Mental health is often viewed and interpreted differently from one society to the next. Black African men who live within African countries and those found in Western countries may view mental health differently and may shape the way issues impacting mental health are dealt with. The way mental health is promoted in an African perspective may differ from the way Western people promote it among their citizens, including men. Mental health is a crucial aspect of human daily functioning, and its absence can significantly impact one's daily functioning and interactions with others. This review aims to map available literature on Black African men's perception of mental health. This review will be guided by Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework incorporating PRISMA-ScR guidance. The search will be conducted on Google Scholar, Sabinet, Web of Science, PubMed, Organisational Websites, and CINAHL. Grey literature will also be collected from reports, University dissertations and theses from institutional repositories, as well as from organisations and government reports. Authors will independently screen and collect data from included studies and thematically analyse findings. The review expects to identify black African men's perception of mental health and categorise them based on themes that will emerge. The findings may be useful when formulating and revising health policies about men's mental health and can be used to identify gaps in men's mental health and ultimately inform interventions to improve men's mental health.