UNDERSTANDING BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS OF MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY AMONG SOCIOECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED YOUTH

Abstract

Mental health literacy plays a crucial role in promoting early recognition of mental health problems, reducing stigma, and facilitating timely help-seeking among young people. However, socioeconomically disadvantaged youth continue to experience substantial barriers that limit access to mental health information, appropriate support, and mental health services. Existing evidence on these barriers and facilitators remains fragmented across different sociocultural and geographical contexts, making it difficult to establish a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing mental health literacy within this population. Therefore, this systematic literature review aimed to synthesise current evidence on the barriers and facilitators of mental health literacy among socioeconomically disadvantaged youth. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the Scopus and Web of Science databases, covering publications from 2020 to 2026. The search strategy employed combinations of keywords related to mental health literacy, barriers, facilitators, socioeconomic disadvantage, and youth. Following a rigorous screening and eligibility process, 18 studies met the predefined inclusion criteria and were included in the final synthesis. An integrative thematic analysis identified three overarching themes: (1) mental health literacy and sociocultural determinants among socioeconomically disadvantaged youth; (2) barriers and facilitators to mental health literacy, help-seeking and service access; and (3) contextually adapted strategies and interventions to improve mental health literacy. The findings indicate that mental health literacy is shaped by a complex interaction of individual, interpersonal, sociocultural, and structural factors. While stigma, cultural beliefs, socioeconomic inequalities, and limited-service accessibility remain persistent barriers, supportive social networks, youth-centred services, digital innovations, peer-led initiatives, and culturally responsive interventions were consistently identified as important facilitators for improving mental health literacy and encouraging appropriate help-seeking. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the current evidence and highlights the need for integrated, culturally responsive, and contextually appropriate mental health literacy strategies that address both educational and structural inequalities to improve mental health outcomes among socioeconomically disadvantaged youth.