A systematic review of community-based studies on mental health issues among tribal populations in India

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Globally, mental disorders are rising with increasing urbanization. India has the world’s second-largest tribal population and it is critical to appreciate the mental health problems in this population. However, the extent of mental health issues among tribal populations is unknown. Against this background, we systematically reviewed community-based studies on mental health issues among tribal populations in India. METHODS: Online databases PubMed, Embase, ProQuest databases and Google Scholar were searched and articles published between January 1990 and May 2021 including primary community-based quantitative observational studies focused exclusively on tribal population were retrieved. PRISMA guidelines were followed and this review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020178099). RESULTS: A total of 935 articles were identified, of which 63 were selected for full-text review, and finally, 11 studies were included. Seven studies examined alcohol use disorder with a pooled prevalence of 40 per cent. Two studies reported on suicidal attempts. A few studies mentioned anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review established that a few community-based primary studies were conducted on mental health issues among tribal populations over the last three decades. Among these, fewer studies focused exclusively on tribal communities. The studies differed in their study design and the tools used. The findings of these investigations highlighted a limited range of mental health issues, primarily alcoholism, anxiety, depression and suicide.