Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
Digital mental health interventions have expanded rapidly in recent years. Existing research remains concentrated on clinician-supervised systems developed in highly resourced Global North contexts. Less attention has been given to digitally mediated informal support pathways and to the structural conditions shaping help-seeking among marginalised adult men in Global South environments. This systematic literature review synthesises 38 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025. Using interpretive thematic synthesis, we examine how formal and informal digital mental health interventions are conceptualised and assess the extent to which marginalised men are explicitly theorised. Drawing on institutional logics, we develop an integrative framework that reframes digital mental health engagement as institutional navigation shaped by biomedical authority, community norms, masculine expectations, and platform affordances. This study contributes to healthcare IS research; it also suggests to designers and policymakers that digital mental health systems should not be conceptualised solely as clinical delivery tools.
Paper Number
1898
Recommended Citation
Nombakuse, Ronaldo and Tsibolane, Pitso, "Digital Mediation of Informal Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Interventions for Marginalised Men in the Global South" (2026). AMCIS 2026 Proceedings. 14.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2026/sig_health/sig_health/14
Digital Mediation of Informal Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Interventions for Marginalised Men in the Global South
Digital mental health interventions have expanded rapidly in recent years. Existing research remains concentrated on clinician-supervised systems developed in highly resourced Global North contexts. Less attention has been given to digitally mediated informal support pathways and to the structural conditions shaping help-seeking among marginalised adult men in Global South environments. This systematic literature review synthesises 38 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025. Using interpretive thematic synthesis, we examine how formal and informal digital mental health interventions are conceptualised and assess the extent to which marginalised men are explicitly theorised. Drawing on institutional logics, we develop an integrative framework that reframes digital mental health engagement as institutional navigation shaped by biomedical authority, community norms, masculine expectations, and platform affordances. This study contributes to healthcare IS research; it also suggests to designers and policymakers that digital mental health systems should not be conceptualised solely as clinical delivery tools.
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