Abstract
Current research suggests that Muslims living in the United States and Canada face a multitude of risk factors including high levels of discrimination and acculturative stress, which may put them at risk for poorer mental health. This underscores an urgent need to better understand mental health determinants and help-seeking factors in Muslims. The present study systematically reviews the literature to 1) assess risk (i.e., acculturative stress) and protective (i.e., religious coping) factors related to mental health and 2) to see whether Muslims are indeed at greater risk for poor mental health. This study also examines factors related to professional psychological help-seeking in Muslims and synthesizes the main findings of Islamically-integrated interventions. Utilizing quantitative meta-analytic techniques and qualitative analyses, all studies published prior to December 1, 2021, on the topic of Muslim mental health in North America were reviewed. As expected, acculturative stress was associated with greater psychological distress and adaptive religious coping was related to fewer depressive symptoms. Further, the following factors contributed to poorer help-seeking attitudes: higher self-stigma, lower knowledge/familiarity with mental health services, and higher levels of cultural beliefs about the etiology of mental illness Against expectations, there was no evidence that Muslims experience more psychological distress compared to non-Muslims of similar ethnic/regional background, though qualitative syntheses reveal more nuanced findings. Literature on current psychotherapeutic interventions for Muslims is also reviewed and discussed, though early dropout and minimal studies on interventions remains a pervasive issue. The above findings highlight that Muslims are facing significant barriers in North America that contribute to poor mental health and low help-seeking. Clinical implications, avenues for future research, and study limitations are discussed.