Scoping review protocol: a mobile health solution for the management of stress among health science students at rural universities in South Africa.

Authors

Bhekithemba Vellem, Nozuko Glenrose Mangi

Published in

The Pan African medical journal. Volume 53. Pages 156. Epub Apr 14, 2026.

Abstract

Stress is prevalent among health science students, particularly in rural settings where access to mental health resources is limited. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer a promising avenue for providing accessible support for stress management. This scoping review aims to identify existing mHealth interventions, evaluate their feasibility and acceptability, and explore the specific needs of students within these contexts. This scoping review will be conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, a structured approach that consists of six stages: identifying the research question, searching for relevant studies, selecting studies, charting the data, collating and summarising the results, and consulting stakeholders. The search will include a comprehensive range of electronic databases and grey literature sources to ensure broad coverage of relevant studies. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines will be used to enhance the methodology, ensuring rigour and transparency throughout the review process. A systematic search strategy will be employed across multiple databases to gather relevant literature on mHealth interventions targeting stress management among health science students. The findings of this review, which will be disseminated through academic journals and conferences, are crucial in informing policymakers, researchers, and educators about effective mHealth strategies tailored for health science students. By highlighting gaps in current research and practice, this review will contribute valuable insights that can guide future intervention development and implementation in rural settings. The findings from this review will help shape a contextually appropriate mHealth program designed to support stress management for health science students studying in rural university settings.

PMID:
42604253
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Aug 2026.

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