Beyond barriers: a qualitative evidence synthesis protocol of South Asian involvement in mental health research in high-income countries

Abstract Introduction There is a recognised need to provide equity in healthcare through inclusion of ethnic minorities in research. South Asians, the largest ethnic minority group in the UK, experience high levels of mental illness, often against the backdrop of socioeconomic deprivation and discrimination. The research community recognises that South Asian communities are often excluded from health research. Efforts have been made to understand the barriers and facilitators to their participation. However, the participation of individuals at the intersection of mental ill health and South Asian ethnicity remains understudied. This is a protocol for the synthesis of qualitative evidence from mental health research studies about participation, motivation and barriers to recruitment of South Asians in high-income countries. Methods and analysis We will search 10 databases for qualitative evidence on participation of South Asian individuals in mental health research studies in high-income countries: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Health Management Information Consortium, Social Policy and Practice, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Social Sciences Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Citation Index. Search terms for the following five concepts will be used: (1) South Asia, (2) ethnic minority, (3) mental health conditions, (4) barriers and facilitators to participation and (5) high-income countries. No date restriction will be applied to the search. Searches will be limited to studies in the English language. Study selection and data extraction will be performed by two researchers independently, using Covidence. Demographic data, thematic outputs and salient discussion points will be extracted from final full-text inclusions and entered into NVivo for coding. Meta-ethnographic approaches using first and second-order constructs from included studies will be used to form third-order constructs. This synthesis will generate new knowledge regarding the intersectionality of mental health and South Asian ethnicity. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required as this study is a synthesis of published data. This review will provide new knowledge regarding the requirements for researchers and practitioners to advance the involvement of South Asian populations in mental health research. This will undoubtedly enhance equity in the long term, reduce the burden of mental disorders and enable the provision of more effective mental health care for South Asian communities. PROSPERO registration number CRD42025626382.