Effectiveness and implementation of Self-Help Plus (SH+) and Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWMS): protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Global increases in armed conflict, forced displacement, pandemics and economic instability have contributed to rising levels of psychological distress worldwide, placing relevant segments of the population at increased risk of developing mental health conditions. This burden is particularly pronounced in humanitarian and low-resource settings where access to specialist mental health services is limited.

Scalable, low-intensity, evidence-based psychological interventions are therefore urgently needed. In response, the WHO has developed transdiagnostic programmes, including Self-Help Plus (SH+) and Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWMS).

Although these interventions are increasingly implemented across humanitarian and public health contexts, evidence for their effectiveness and implementation has not yet been systematically synthesised. Methods and analysis This preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted in accordance with Cochrane Collaboration standards and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

We will include randomised controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of SH+ or DWMS, alongside qualitative and mixed-methods studies examining their implementation among stressor-exposed individuals of any age.