Evaluating interventions that have improved access to community mental health care for Black men: A systematic review

Background: Black men are one of the most disadvantaged groups when accessing mental health services in the UK. There is extensive guidance from qualitative research on how to bring equity, but it is unclear how this evidence is being implemented.

Aim: To systematically review interventions that help Black men access timely and appropriate mental health care and to explore their nature and effectiveness.

Method: We registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022345323). We searched electronic databases up to September 2023 for studies with at least 50% of Black male participants receiving an intervention to improve access to mental health support in community settings. We conducted a narrative synthesis of eligible studies.

Results: Five studies met our inclusion criteria. An important characteristic was discussing thoughts and feelings through peer support, leading to a normalization of experiences.

Conclusions: There is a paucity of research into interventions that support Black men accessing community mental health support. Proactively testing interventions, not just seeking qualitative feedback, is required. Evidence-based strategies to support recruitment of Black men into research is necessary. Commissioners could consider evidence typically seen as less robust to mitigate against an underlying racial bias within research and stimulate the growth of an evidence base.