Social Determinants and Utilization of Mental Health Services Among Urban Youth in Accra: AMeta-Analysis

Urban youth in Accra face significant mental health challenges exacerbated by social determinants such as poverty, unemployment, and inadequate healthcare access. A systematic review of existing literature was conducted, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included based on predefined criteria for quality assessment and relevance. Among the reviewed studies, a notable trend indicated that youth from low-income households were less likely to seek mental health services when compared to those from higher income backgrounds (relative risk ratio of 0.56, 95% confidence interval: [0.44, 0.71]). The analysis revealed substantial disparities in service utilization based on socioeconomic status. Public health initiatives should prioritise interventions targeting youth from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve access and utilization of mental health services. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.