Equity, diversity, and inclusion in post-secondary student mental health and well-being research: A scoping review protocol

AI Summary

Systematically map extent, range, and nature of research explicitly articulating equity, diversity, and inclusion within post-secondary student mental health and well-being.
Scoping review using JBI methods and Population-Concept-Context framework with comprehensive database and grey literature searches, dual screening, and inclusive study designs.
Data extraction captures how EDI is defined, operationalised, and implemented; synthesis via descriptive statistics, qualitative content analysis, and mapping; co-developed with students with lived experience.

AI Summary

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review is to systematically identify and map the extent, range, and nature of research that explicitly articulates Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within post-secondary student (PSS) mental health and well-being research, and to describe how EDI is conceptualized, operationalized, and implemented across study designs and research processes. INTRODUCTION: Research addressing PSS mental health and well-being has grown substantially; concurrently, EDI has become a prominent institutional and research priority within post-secondary systems. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This review will include research studies of any design that explicitly articulate EDI within PSS mental health and well-being research.

Basic summary

PLoS One. 2026 May 29;21(5):e0349684. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0349684. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Research addressing PSS mental health and well-being has grown substantially; concurrently, EDI has become a prominent institutional and research priority within post-secondary systems. Despite this convergence, no evidence synthesis has systematically examined how EDI is explicitly integrated into PSS mental health and well-being research.

INCLUSION CRITERIA: This review will include research studies of any design that explicitly articulate EDI within PSS mental health and well-being research. Eligible studies must focus on students enrolled in accredited post-secondary institutions and examine mental health or well-being within post-secondary education contexts.

METHODS: The review will be conducted in accordance with JBI methodology for scoping reviews and guided by the Population-Concept-Context framework. A three-step search strategy will be implemented. Electronic database searches will be conducted in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, and Scopus or Web of Science, supplemented by targeted searches of eligible grey literature and reference list screening. Records will undergo title and abstract screening by two independent reviewers, followed by full-text screening. Data will be extracted using a structured, pilot-tested tool designed to capture how EDI is defined, framed, and integrated across stages of the research process. Extracted data will be synthesized using descriptive summary statistics, basic qualitative content analysis, and tabular and graphical mapping to address the review questions. The protocol was developed through sustained engagement with PSS with lived experience of mental health and well-being, including students from equity-deserving groups.

PMID:42213669 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0349684

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