ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2025
A Gamified Digital Mental Health Intervention Across Six Sub-Saharan African Countries: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of a Large-Scale Implementation.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Information and Communication Technology Interventions to Enhance Mental Health Literacy Among Young Adults and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of nursing practice · 2026Pooled it
- Fidelity and feasibility of a pilot implementation of adapted WHO digital interventions to scale up mental health in Nigerian primary care: A mixed-methods process evaluation.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Strengthening the quality and safety of community mental health care for children and young people: a critical review of innovations from low- and middle-income countries.Frontiers in health services · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mental health conditions affect many young people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where stigma is high and access to care is limited. Digital tools accessible on basic mobile phones offer a scalable way to promote mental health, but evidence on their effectiveness in SSA is limited. This study evaluated the reach, feasibility, acceptability, and knowledge outcomes of Digital MindSKILLZ, an interactive voice response (IVR) mental health intervention implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. Over seven months, 700,138 people called the platform, and 425,395 (61%) listened to at least one message. Of these users, 63.6% were under 25 and 68.3% were from rural areas. The three content branches-mental health information, mental health skills, and soccer quizzes-were accessed by 36.5%, 46.4%, and 50.9% of users, respectively. Among users who accessed the mental health branch of the intervention, the mean number of messages completed was 7.6 out of 18 messages. In a follow-up survey, 91% of users understood the content, 85% would recommend the intervention, and 38% found the mental health content most helpful. Average knowledge scores were 62%, with lower scores on common disorders and stigma. The intervention showed strong reach and acceptability, but content and implementation improvements are needed to boost engagement and retention.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.