The MENA-MHPI Model: A culturally adapted, multi-tiered framework for mental health promotion in the Middle East: Targeted narrative review with conceptual model proposal

Abstract

Mental health challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have intensified due to conflict, displacement, and systemic gaps in service delivery. Existing models remain underfunded, centralized, and often misaligned with cultural and religious contexts, limiting their scalability and sustainability. This targeted narrative review synthesizes current evidence on mental health promotion in fragile MENA settings and proposes the MENA-MHPI Model-a novel, three-tiered framework that integrates (1) culturally adapted mental health literacy, (2) technology-assisted primary care, and (3) community-based psychosocial support. The model emphasizes leveraging existing infrastructures, including schools, mosques, NGOs, and digital platforms, while embedding culturally sensitive approaches such as faith-based counseling and local dialect media campaigns. By combining digital innovation with community trust structures, the framework seeks to reduce stigma, enhance accessibility, and promote resilience. This article provides a conceptual roadmap to guide future research, policy development, and program implementation toward sustainable, context-responsive mental health systems in the MENA region.

Keywords: Community-based support; Culturally adapted models; Digital health; MENA region; Mental health promotion.