Abstract
Background: Maternal mental health during the perinatal period is a critical public health concern, with depression, anxiety, and stress significantly affecting both maternal and child outcomes. While global attention on maternal mental health has increased, women in Arab countries face particularly high rates of postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Structural inequalities, patriarchal norms, stigma surrounding mental illness, and healthcare system barriers contribute to limited access to effective interventions. Understanding the scope and effectiveness of existing interventions is essential for addressing these inequities. This scoping review examines interventions targeting mental health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women across the League of Arab States. It highlights gaps in accessibility, cultural adaptation, and healthcare integration to inform future improvements. Methods: Using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a search across 16 databases to identify for publications published between 2010 and December 2024 was conducted. Results: Twenty-three studies met inclusion criteria, with the majority conducted in Egypt. Interventions demonstrated that even minimal interventions can be effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress; however, gaps remain in geographic representation, scalability, and healthcare integration. High-risk populations, such as refugees and rural women, were notably underrepresented. Conclusion: Findings underscore the need for culturally adapted scalable interventions integrated into healthcare systems. Limitations of this review include the possibility of publications in languages other than English, Arabic, or French, and the exclusion of brief communications, grey literature and reports published outside peer-reviewed journals. Findings suggest that future research be focused on high-risk populations, expand geographic representation, or consider interventions that can be integrated into existing healthcare systems. Strengthening maternal mental health programs in Arab countries is crucial for advancing health equity and perinatal outcomes.