Social media is a significant source of information for post-secondary students, who are usually at the age at which many common mental disorders first express themselves. Social media can have a role in the way post-secondary students identify and act on mental health issues.

Explore how the use of social media influences post-secondary students’ adoption of mental health labels.

We included empirical studies on mental health labelling in the context of social media use among post-secondary students published in English between January 1995 and April 2025.

The review includes references from five databases: Scopus, PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE (to access APA PsycINFO), Web of Science and ProQuest Global Dissertations and Theses. Based on the included studies from the initial search, we built a complementary search strategy using Research Rabbit artificial intelligence.

We present a table listing characteristics of the studies and brief summaries of their findings. A narrative synthesis compiled the information from each study to answer the research questions.

The search identified 7551 references and 1099 additional records from Research Rabbit. 11 studies published since 2011 met the inclusion criteria with qualitative, mixed methods and quantitative designs, without major quality concerns. Approaches to measuring social media exposure varied, including platform reports of user activity and self-reported indicators. Individuals adopted labels themselves or received labels from peers or researchers. Most research focused on self-presentation and symptom disclosure rather than labelling itself. The accuracy of self-diagnosis was higher for common disorders and lower for complex conditions such as mania or panic disorders. Labelling varied across social media platforms. Online interaction revealed issues that students were reluctant to share face-to-face. Label use appeared to influence help-seeking and peer support, with effects shaped by social stigma.

The adoption of mental health labels via social media among post-secondary students remains largely unexplored. The concept of labelling and its operationalisation vary across research. Future studies should provide more formal definitions, investigate mechanisms driving labelling and assess its potential effects on human health.

Despite increasing proportions of underrepresented minority (URM) medical school graduates, their progression into surgical training and leadership remains disproportionately low. Barriers such as financial constraints, limited mentorship and implicit bias contribute to this disparity, creating a disconnect between the diversity of patient populations and those providing care. While interventions such as mentorship programmes and pipeline initiatives have been implemented, their overall effectiveness has not been systematically evaluated. The primary aim of this scoping review is to map the current landscape of interventions, programmes and policies designed to enhance access to surgical careers for URM learners.

Searches will be conducted on EMBASE, Web of Science and OVID MEDLINE. Three independent reviewers will screen references, extract data and perform analyses with disagreements adjudicated by a fourth reviewer. This review will include studies conducted across all levels of training: secondary (high school or secondary school), postsecondary (undergraduate, medical school) and postgraduate (residency, fellowship), with no geographical restrictions. The definition of URM will be accepted as reported within each individual study, allowing for variability in racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic or other criteria. The review will include any structured interventions, programmes or policies aimed at increasing URM representation in surgical education. Data on the nature, duration and target population of each intervention will be extracted. The primary outcome will be the reported impact of interventions on URM representation or participation in surgical education. Secondary outcomes will include characteristics of the study participants, definitions of URM status and any qualitative or quantitative evaluations of intervention effectiveness.

Research ethics approval is not required under University of Toronto policy. Study results will be reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Results will be disseminated to relevant stakeholders at conference presentation(s) and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.