Intervention impact of audiovisual arts in youth mental health promotion: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Introduction

Audiovisual arts interventions show promise for youth mental health promotion, but evidence remains limited. This scoping review aims to systematically map evidence on audiovisual arts interventions for mental health promotion among youth aged 15–24 years.

Methods and analysis

The review will be conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute guide on evidence synthesis, and the results will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews. A comprehensive search will be conducted in seven electronic databases: Web of Science Core Collection (including MEDLINE and ProQuest), PubMed, Embase, Scopus, APA PsycInfo, Communication & Mass Media Complete and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Grey literature sources, including WHO Institutional Repository for Information Sharing, will also be searched. The search will include publications from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2025, with no language restrictions. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full texts, and chart data from included studies. The data will be synthesised using a narrative approach.

Ethics and dissemination

No ethical approval required as only published data will be analysed. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conferences and stakeholder engagement.

Protocol registration number

Open Science Framework registration DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/DEGPJ.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY.

• This review will consider publications in multiple languages to capture available evidence from diverse contexts.

• The search will comprehensively consider literature from multiple disciplines such as public health, mental health, communication and arts.

• Grey literature will be extensively searched to minimise publication bias.

• Study results will be rigorously reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews guideline.

• As this review focuses on audiovisual arts interventions, the findings may not be generalisable to other types of arts-based interventions for mental health promotion.

Introduction

Background

Mental health is a critical issue for youth and young people worldwide. According to the WHO, mental health conditions account for 16% of the global burden of disease and injury in people aged 10–19 years.¹ Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Despite the high prevalence and significant impact of mental health problems, while evidence-based psychosocial interventions for youth mental health exist, Patel et al highlight challenges in scaling and implementing these interventions sustainably, particularly in low-resource settings.²

For this review, we define audiovisual arts of healthcare importance as purposefully created film-based content (including short films, documentaries, animations and videos) designed or utilised to promote health outcomes, deliver health education or facilitate therapeutic processes.³ These materials typically range from 2 to 60 min in duration and may be delivered through various platforms including cinema, television, online streaming or clinical settings.³

Recognising the central role of behaviour in global health outcomes, the WHO has called for the integration of evidence-based behavioural and cultural insights into health policy and practice.⁴ Audiovisual arts, such as short films, have the potential to be an effective tool for health promotion and education. Films can convey complex health information in an engaging and accessible way, particularly for young audiences.⁵ They can also challenge stigma, promote empathy and inspire behaviour change.⁶ The WHO has recognised the power of films in health communication and has been organising the ‘Health for All Film Festival’ since 2020 to encourage the use of films to promote public health.³

This review will encompass various mental health conditions and outcomes relevant to youth, including but not limited to: depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis, eating disorders, substance use disorders, self-harm behaviours and general psychological well-being and resilience.

Despite the growing interest in using films for health promotion, there is limited evidence on the impact of audiovisual arts interventions on mental health outcomes among youth and young people. A systematic review by Bungay and Vella-Burrows found that participatory arts programmes can have a positive effect on the health and well-being of young people,⁵ but the review did not specifically focus on audiovisual arts or mental health outcomes. Another scoping review by Jensen et al examined the use of participatory visual methods in child and youth health research, but did not assess the impact of these methods on health outcomes.⁷

Research has begun to explore the potential of audiovisual arts in promoting mental health among youth and young people. For example, a study by Goodman et al evaluated the effectiveness of a short film intervention in reducing stigma and improving mental health literacy among university students in the United States. The results showed significant improvements in attitudes towards mental illness and knowledge about available resources after watching the film.⁸ Another study by Sánchez-Velásquez et al examined the impact of a digital storytelling intervention on the mental health and well-being of Indigenous youth in Peru. Participants reported increased self-awareness, emotional expression and sense of connection after creating and sharing their digital stories.⁹

However, the existing evidence on the use and impact of audiovisual arts for promoting youth mental health remains fragmented and limited in scope. To address this gap, a comprehensive scoping review is needed to map the current state of knowledge, identify research gaps and guide future studies in this area. This review will contribute to the growing body of literature on the potential of arts-based approaches in health promotion and disease prevention.^{10 11} It will also inform the development and implementation of innovative and effective interventions to address the pressing challenge of youth mental health worldwide. This scoping review defines youth using the United Nations definition, which defines ‘youth’ as persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years.¹²

Study aims and objectives

This scoping review aims to systematically search, screen and synthesise the scientific evidence on the impact of audiovisual arts interventions for promoting mental health among youth and young people aged 15–24 years. The specific objectives are to:

1. Map existing evidence on the use of audiovisual arts in mental health promotion and education among youth and young people.

2. Identify the desired and observed outcomes of research conducted at the intersection of audiovisual arts and mental health promotion.

3. Identify the tools used to measure the outcomes and impact of audiovisual arts interventions.

4. Identify existing gaps in the literature and provide recommendations for future research and practice.

Review questions and data output

This review will address several research questions and provide various data outputs corresponding to each question, as described in table 1. The questions are based on the indications for conducting a scoping review suggested by Munn et al.¹³

Table 1. Research questions and corresponding data outputs.

Indications for conducting a scoping review	Research question	Data output	Extracted variables
To identify the types of evidence in a given field	What types of studies have been conducted on the impact of audiovisual arts on youth mental health?	Descriptive analysis of study types (eg, RCTs, observational studies, qualitative studies) and their prevalence	Study design, year, country, sample size, funding source
To clarify key concepts/definitions in the literature	What are the guiding theories or frameworks used to study the impact of audiovisual arts on youth mental health?	Summary of theoretical or conceptual frameworks guiding the study of audiovisual arts interventions for youth mental health	Theoretical framework, conceptual model, intervention theory
To examine how research is conducted on a certain topic or field	What methods and data have been used to study the impact of audiovisual arts on youth mental health?	Overview of research methodologies (eg, quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) and types of data collected	Study methodology, data collection tools, outcome measures, analysis methods
To identify key characteristics or factors related to a concept	What are the key characteristics of audiovisual arts interventions used in these studies? What mental health outcomes have been measured and reported?	Summary of intervention types, durations, settings and delivery methods; synthesis of mental health indicators assessed and key findings	Intervention type, duration, setting, delivery mode, mental health outcomes, effect sizes
To identify and analyse knowledge gaps	What are the limitations and gaps in the current evidence base? What implications can be drawn?	Discussion of methodological issues, inconsistencies and areas requiring further research	Study limitations, identified gaps, recommendations

RCTs, Randomized Controlled Trials.

Methods and analysis

This scoping review will be conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis¹⁴ and the results will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR).¹⁵ The scoping review process will involve searching and screening the literature, extracting and charting the data and collating and summarising the results. Our protocol has been registered with the Open Science Framework registry (https://osf.io/), with the registration DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/DEGPJ.

Search strategies

The search strategy will be developed using the Population-Concept-Context (PCC) framework,¹⁴ with ‘youth and young people’ as the population, ‘audiovisual arts’ and ‘mental health’ as the concepts and ‘worldwide’ as the context. A comprehensive search will be conducted in seven electronic databases: Web of Science Core Collection (including MEDLINE and ProQuest), PubMed, Embase, Scopus, APA PsycInfo, Communication & Mass Media Complete and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the largest Chinese database. No language and publication time restrictions will be applied.

The search terms will be developed based on the PCC framework and the specific review objectives. Five main concepts will be used: (1) mental health, (2) youth, (3) audiovisual arts, (4) impact and (5) health communication. These concepts will be combined using the Boolean operator ‘AND’. Relevant keywords and MeSH terms will be identified for each concept and adapted for each database. The detailed search strategies for all databases will be provided in online supplemental material.

Grey literature

Grey literature will be searched to minimise publication bias and capture relevant evidence not published in academic journals. The following sources will be searched:

• WHO Institutional Repository for Information Sharing.

• Clinical trial registries: clinicaltrials.gov and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry.

• Preprint servers: medRxiv, bioRxiv, PsyArXiv, SocArXiv and ChinaXiv.

• Google Scholar and Google Search (first 10 pages of results).

• Websites of relevant organisations: Mental Health Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness, etc.

Additionally, the reference lists of included studies will be hand-searched to identify any additional relevant studies. Authors of included studies will also be contacted to inquire about any unpublished or ongoing studies.

Search limits

To achieve a balance between comprehensiveness and relevance to current practice, the search will be limited to studies published from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2025. No restrictions will be placed on the study design or publication type.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Studies will be included if they meet the following criteria:

1. Focus on youth aged 15–24 years.

2. Use audiovisual arts (eg, films, videos, animations) as an intervention for promoting mental health.

3. Report on the impact or outcomes of the intervention on mental health indicators.

4. Use any study design, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods.

Studies will be excluded if they:

1. Focus on adults aged 25 years and above.

2. Use arts interventions other than audiovisual arts, such as visual arts or music.

3. Use audiovisual arts as part of a multicomponent intervention where the impact cannot be separated.

4. Focus on health topics other than mental health, such as diabetes or sexual health.

5. Use audiovisual materials only as a communication medium, rather than as an intervention.

Study screening

Pilot screening

Before starting the formal screening process, the review team will perform a pilot test on a selection of 50 title/abstracts in English and 50 in Chinese. During the pilot process, the first three authors will screen those same studies in two rounds, that is, title and abstract screening as well as full-text screening; discrepancies will be resolved through discussion. Consensus will be reached on all those pilot articles before the formal screening process begins.

Screening procedures

All records from the database searches will be imported into EndNote X9 for deduplication. The deduplicated records will then be imported into Covidence systematic review software for screening. Two reviewers will independently screen the titles and abstracts of all records against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Records meeting the criteria or requiring further assessment will proceed to full-text screening. The full texts will be retrieved and independently screened by two reviewers. Disagreements will be resolved through discussion or by a third reviewer. The reasons for excluding records at full text will be recorded and reported. The study selection process will be summarised using a PRISMA flow diagram.¹⁶

Data charting

A standardised data charting form will be developed to extract relevant information from the included studies. The form will include fields such as: author(s), year, country, study design, setting, participant characteristics, intervention details, outcome measures, key findings and limitations. Two reviewers will independently chart the data from each included study. Discrepancies will be resolved through discussion or by a third reviewer. The charted data will be collated in an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis.

While scoping reviews typically do not include formal quality assessment, we will note the methodological approaches of included studies using appropriate tools: Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for RCTs, A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) for systematic reviews and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists for qualitative studies. This information will be reported descriptively to contextualise findings without excluding studies based on quality.

Data synthesis

The charted data will be analysed and synthesised using a narrative approach. The key characteristics of the included studies, such as the study design, population, intervention and outcomes, will be summarised and presented in tables and figures. The studies will be grouped and compared based on their similarities and differences in terms of the intervention type, outcome measures and study findings. Patterns, themes and gaps in the evidence will be identified and discussed. The overall findings will be synthesised to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on the use and impact of audiovisual arts for promoting mental health among youth and young people. The limitations and implications of the review findings will also be discussed, along with recommendations for future research and practice.

Patient and public involvement

Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, conduct, reporting or dissemination plans of this research.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required for this scoping review as it will only include published data and will not involve human participants. The results of the review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and social media. The findings will also be shared with relevant stakeholders, such as youth mental health organisations, arts and health practitioners and policymakers, to inform the development and implementation of audiovisual arts interventions for promoting mental health among youth and young people.

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.