Mental Health Interventions for Adolescents and Youth in Nigeria: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness

Young people are particularly vulnerable to the protective or harmful effects of mental health that occur during the stages of development, impacting cognitive, emotional and behavioural pathways that persist through the transition to adulthood. The study aimed to synthesise available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions intended to improve mental health-related outcomes among adolescents and youth in Nigeria. The study adopted the PIO framework to guide the study, developing precise variables for the study, as well as determining inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study, and the search strategy, keywords and terms. To ensure comprehensive coverage of the literature, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, AJOL, and Cochrane Library were searched. The PRISMA guideline assisted the selection of 40 studies included in the study, as the search generated 1,701 publications. The evidence indicates that the interventions have potential to improve mental health outcomes for adolescents and young adults in Nigeria, especially for structured, multi-session, and multicomponent, trauma-focused, and CBT/REBT-based interventions. As noted, there are benefits of the intervention in the reduction of levels of depression, anxiety, PTSD, academic and social anxiety, stress, self-harm or suicidal ideation, as well as across overall well-being outcomes, with some of these benefits persisting at short- to medium-term follow-up. Furthermore, school-based literacy programs were effective primarily for knowledge outcomes and some stigma/help-seeking outcomes, with limited evidence for symptom outcomes. Combined approaches tend to produce improved, significant mental health outcomes across various populations, especially CBT combined with art or music. This keys into the Nigerian context of appreciation for local and culturally focused arts and music.