Impact of School-Based Mental Health Programmes on Youth Depression Rates in Kampala, Uganda: A Systematic Literature Review

Mental health disorders among youth are prevalent in developing countries like Uganda, with depression being a significant concern. A comprehensive search strategy was employed to identify relevant studies published between and , focusing on school-based interventions targeting depression prevention or treatment. Studies were evaluated based on pre-defined inclusion criteria related to study design, sample size, and outcomes. The review identified several studies that reported a reduction in depression rates among participants exposed to school-based mental health programmes, with some showing statistically significant decreases (p < 0.05). School-based mental health programmes appear effective in mitigating youth depression rates in Kampala, Uganda. Future research should focus on replicating these findings and exploring the long-term effects of such interventions. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.