Mental health interventions for resilience and mental health in conflict-affected Palestinian communities: A systematic review revealing research gaps and the absence of narrative therapy evidence

BACKGROUND: Conflict-affected Palestinian communities experience profound mental health challenges. This systematic review assesses the evidence for mental health interventions in these contexts, focusing on the theoretical alignment of narrative therapy with cultural assets like sumud (steadfastness) and hikaye (storytelling). METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched nine databases and grey literature up to December 2023. We included studies on mental health interventions for conflictaffected Palestinians, with a primary focus on narrative therapy and a secondary analysis of other approaches. RESULTS: Of 847 records screened for narrative therapy, no studies met the inclusion criteria. A broader search identified 23 intervention studies, revealing a predominant focus on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT; n = 11) and Narrative Exposure Therapy (n = 4), with limited therapeutic diversity. Analysis showed insufficient Palestinian researcher leadership and superficial cultural adaptation of interventions. CONCLUSIONS: This review reveals a dual gap: a complete absence of narrative therapy research despite its theoretical relevance, and a broader pattern of limited intervention diversity. The predominance of Western-centric models reflects systemic biases in research funding. Addressing this requires community-led participatory research, shifts in funding priorities, and investment in culturally-grounded methodologies.