Cognitive and Socio-emotional aspects of Digital Mental Health Literacy: a scoping review.

This scoping review maps the existing evidence on cognitive, emotional, social, and contextual factors associated with Mental eHealth Literacy (MeHL) among university students and young adults, as well as the outcomes linked to these processes. Following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, systematic searches were conducted in PsycINFO, PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus, complemented by manual searches. Empirical studies published in English or Spanish since 2005 were included. Findings indicate that MeHL develops predominantly in unstructured digital environments such as social media platforms, search engines, and conversational agents, where individuals engage in self-directed and socially mediated information seeking. Across studies, executive functions, emotional regulation, digital evaluation skills, and social influences emerged as key factors shaping how mental health information is accessed, interpreted, and applied. Reported outcomes mainly concerned help-seeking intentions and stigma, although evidence remains fragmented and conceptually heterogeneous. Overall, the review highlights the need for integrative models that clarify the cognitive and socioemotional mechanisms underpinning MeHL in contemporary digital ecosystems.