Mental health promotion (MHP) is a critical but often underresourced component of public health systems, particularly for racialized immigrant communities navigating layered social and structural inequities. Within the Canadian context, Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant populations face unique challenges to achieving mental well-being, including the compounded impacts of racial discrimination, migration stressors, intergenerational trauma, cultural dissonance, and barriers to accessing culturally safe care [1,2]. These experiences are intensified by the persistent erasure or tokenization of Black knowledge systems in mental health promotion design and delivery.

The concept of mental health promotion is defined as the process of enhancing protective factors and improving the social determinants that support psychological well-being, which requires contextual adaptation [3]. For Black, Caribbean, and African immigrants, MHP must move beyond biomedical models to encompass relational, cultural, and community-based understandings of wellness. Yet, despite national recognition of mental health inequities [4,5], efforts to systematically map and assess MHP interventions tailored to Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant communities remain limited.

Furthermore, the linguistic, cultural, generational, and migratory diversity within Black, Caribbean, and African populations necessitates mental health promotion efforts that are both inclusive and sensitive to variations within the community [6-9]. Current policy documents and funding streams (eg, Public Health Agency of Canada’s [PHAC’s] Promoting Health Equity: Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund) highlight a growing awareness of these needs, yet there is insufficient synthesis of what has been implemented, evaluated, or sustained over time.

This knowledge gap limits our ability to (1) understand which interventions are grounded in community realities, (2) learn from grassroots innovations or co-designed programs, (3) identify persistent barriers and underserved subgroups within the Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant population, and (4) inform future investment and capacity-building across systems of care.

A scoping review is therefore timely and necessary to consolidate fragmented knowledge, interrogate the equity implications of existing MHP strategies, and identify conceptual, methodological, and practice-based gaps.

This scoping review aims to comprehensively examine MHP initiatives targeting Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant communities in Canada. By mapping existing strategies, programs, and activities, this review seeks to provide a clear overview of the current efforts to support mental well-being within these populations. This mapping process will help identify successful approaches, innovative interventions, and areas where resources are being allocated effectively.

Furthermore, the review will examine the barriers and facilitators affecting the implementation and success of MHP initiatives in these communities. This analysis will shed light on cultural, social, economic, and systemic factors that may hinder or support MHP efforts. By identifying these barriers and facilitators, this review aims to inform future policy decisions, resource allocation, and program development to better address the unique mental health needs of Black, Caribbean, and African immigrants in Canada. Additionally, the review will highlight gaps in current research and practice, pointing toward areas that require further investigation or intervention to improve mental health outcomes for these populations.

Succinctly, the 3 main objectives of this scoping review are as follows:

The search strategy was developed iteratively, following multiple preliminary searches and subsequent refinements. Initial searches were conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases. No temporal restrictions were imposed on published research.

Preliminary searches were conducted in June 2025. Only titles and abstracts were searched and extracted to data management tool Zotero (version 9.0.5; Digital Scholar). Formal, comprehensive searches across all 6 databases were completed in October 2025. The full search strings applied in each database are provided in Multimedia Appendix 1.

The eligibility criteria for this study were developed from insights gained during preliminary searches conducted in June 2025 and were refined iteratively prior to the formal searches completed in October 2025. These criteria aim to focus the research on a specific population and context, ensuring that selected sources provide relevant and valuable information for the study’s objectives, as follows:

The first criterion specifies that papers must be published in English, which facilitates a comprehensive review by the research team and ensures consistency in language interpretation. The population of focus is narrowed down to Black, Caribbean, and African immigrants, allowing for an in-depth exploration of mental health issues specific to these communities. By setting Canada as the geographical context, the study aims to examine the unique challenges and opportunities within the Canadian health care system and social environment. Finally, the focus on MHP and mental illness prevention highlights the study’s emphasis on proactive approaches to mental well-being rather than solely on treatment-oriented research. This comprehensive set of criteria will guide the selection of papers that contribute meaningfully to understanding and addressing the mental health needs of Black, Caribbean, and African immigrants in Canada.

The search strategy was structured around 3 core concepts, combined using the Boolean operator AND to connect each concept group. Within each concept group, synonymous and related terms were combined using the Boolean operator OR. The full, finalized search strings as applied in each database are provided in Multimedia Appendix 1. The 3 concept groups and their associated search terms are as follows:

A complete search string therefore takes the form: [population terms] AND [setting terms] AND [focus terms], with database-specific syntax adjustments applied as documented in Multimedia Appendix 1. Where applicable, MeSH headings and controlled vocabulary terms were incorporated to enhance sensitivity. Searches were not restricted by date of publication.

Data charting will be conducted using Covidence. Searches will be exported from each database into the systematic review online platform. Covidence performs automatic deduplication; 2 reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts, resolving conflicts by consensus within the platform. The same reviewers will screen full texts, applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, and extract study characteristics and outcomes using Covidence’s structured forms. A third reviewer will verify all extractions for accuracy.

Conflicts between the 2 independent reviewers at any stage of screening or extraction will be resolved through discussion and consensus. Where consensus cannot be reached through discussion, the third reviewer will serve as an arbiter, and a final decision will be made by majority agreement.

The data-charting form is designed to capture the following information from each included source: study characteristics (author, year, country, study design, and methodology); participant characteristics (age, gender, health status, socioeconomic status, and racial or ethnic background); researcher characteristics (nationalities and fields of expertise); and study objectives and contextual factors. In addition, and centrally relevant to the review objectives, the form will capture characteristics of the MHP strategies themselves, including type of intervention or program; delivery modality (individual, group, community-level, or digital); duration and intensity; theoretical or conceptual framework used; target subgroup within the Black, Caribbean, and African population; reported outcomes or intended outcomes; and barriers and facilitators to implementation and uptake identified by study authors.

The analysis and summarization of data will be conducted using descriptive methods, providing a comprehensive overview of the collected information. Tables and graphs will be used strategically to present study characteristics in a clear, visually appealing manner. These visual representations will be complemented by a narrative summary in the text, offering detailed explanations and interpretations of the data. This approach ensures that readers can easily grasp the key findings and trends identified in the study.

A comparative analysis of study characteristics and participant attributes will be conducted to identify research gaps. This process involves systematically examining similarities and differences across studies, considering factors such as methodologies, demographics, and outcomes. By conducting this thorough comparison, researchers can pinpoint areas where existing literature is lacking or inconsistent, highlighting opportunities for future investigations.

This approach not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the current state of research but also guides subsequent studies, ensuring they address relevant and unexplored aspects of the topic at hand.

This research does not involve human subjects or unpublished secondary data, eliminating the need for approval from an ethics committee focused on human research.

The results of the scoping review will be shared through various channels to reach both academic and community audiences. A peer-reviewed publication in a relevant public health or health equity journal is the primary vehicle. Results will also be presented at national and international conferences in community health sciences, public health, and health equity. Community-facing summaries will be developed in accessible formats for sharing with Black, Caribbean, and African community organizations, settlement agencies, and policymakers in Canada. Where appropriate, findings will be integrated into curriculum and training materials for health professionals working with Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant populations.

This scoping review is designed to produce the first consolidated synthesis of MHP strategies, programs, and activities targeting Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant communities in Canada. Based on the objectives and the landscape of literature identified through preliminary and formal searches, several anticipated principal findings can be articulated. First, existing MHP efforts are expected to reflect considerable heterogeneity in design, scope, and theoretical grounding, with variation across program type (individual, family-based, and community-level), delivery modality (clinical, community, and digital), and population subgroup. Second, the review anticipates that upstream, preventive, and community-governed MHP approaches will be underrepresented relative to reactive, treatment-adjacent, or clinically framed interventions. Third, the evidence base is expected to reveal persistent gaps in the representation of grassroots, diasporic, and Africentric frameworks within formal research and policy documentation, reflecting the broader structural marginalization of Black knowledge systems in Canadian public health. These anticipated findings will be examined and refined as data extraction is completed.

Existing reviews on the mental health of Black populations in Canada have primarily focused on mental health service utilization, barriers to care, and the epidemiology of mental disorders rather than on proactive, upstream MHP strategies [2,4]. A 2024 scoping review by Martínez-Vega and colleagues examined mental health standards for Black youth across community, primary care, and educational settings, identifying substantial equity gaps; however, the review did not systematically address MHP programming for Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant adults or examine the role of community-led or culturally rooted interventions. Similarly, work by Alaazi and colleagues [1] examined community- and family-based approaches to child MHP among African immigrants in Alberta, offering important community-level insights that nonetheless remain geographically and demographically bounded. This review will build on and extend these contributions by focusing explicitly on the immigrant experience across Black, Caribbean, and African subgroups, incorporating gray literature and community-based sources, and centering equity-driven and decolonial analytical lenses.

This review carries several methodological strengths. The use of 6 databases alongside gray literature sources broadens the evidence base beyond peer-reviewed academic literature, capturing community-led innovations and policy-driven initiatives that are frequently excluded from narrower reviews. The application of both Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework and JBI guidance ensures methodological rigor and transparency. Independent duplicate data charting with a third-reviewer verification process strengthens interrater reliability.

Nonetheless, several limitations warrant acknowledgment. The restriction to English-language sources may exclude relevant francophone literature, particularly given the significant Black, Caribbean, and African immigrant population in Quebec and other francophone regions. The heterogeneity of the Black, Caribbean, and African population, spanning diverse national origins, migration histories, generational statuses, and linguistic communities, means that aggregate findings may obscure important within-group variation. Additionally, the reliance on formal publication and indexed gray literature may underrepresent informal, oral, or community-held knowledge that does not circulate in documented form. These limitations do not undermine the review’s contributions but should be considered when interpreting and applying its findings.

The findings of this review are intended to serve as a foundation for subsequent research phases. In particular, gaps identified through the mapping process will inform the design of participatory and community-based interventions that center Black, Caribbean, and African immigrants as coinvestigators and knowledge producers. Future work may also examine the implementation fidelity and long-term sustainability of identified MHP programs, areas that scoping reviews are not designed to assess but that are critical for translating evidence into sustained practice and policy change.