Thirty years after political transition, South Africa still records the highest income‑inequality worldwide (Gini ≈ 0.63) (Harmse, 2014). Chronic socio‑economic adversity exposes the average South African to elevated trauma, social stressors and psychological distress (Harriman et al., 2021). Marginalised groups suffer disproportionately, yet qualified mental‑health professionals remain scarce—only 0.97 public‑sector psychologists and 0.31 psychiatrists per 100 000 uninsured citizens are available country‑wide :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.

This “Mental‑Health Gap” (Burns, 2011) reflects service models optimised for high‑income, urban populations capable of paying out‑of‑pocket fees (Bantjes & colleagues, 2016). In contrast, digital connectivity has expanded rapidly: 45.34 million South Africans (74.7 %) were online in January 2024, with median mobile speeds of ≈ 50 Mbps :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}. These conditions invite scalable, low‑cost e‑health solutions.

Web‑based psychometric platforms (e.g., Psychtoolbox.org, Millisecond Inquisit, SapienIndustry) can deliver cognitive tests, symptom screeners and brief interventions via browser or smartphone. A 2023 meta‑analysis of 36 RCTs showed that digital interventions reduced depression and anxiety in LMICs with a pooled Hedges g = 0.45 :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}, echoed by JMIR evidence of moderate‑to‑large effects :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}. In South Africa, an online consensus protocol successfully diagnosed cognitive impairment in rural elders, demonstrating local feasibility :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.

The COVID‑19 pandemic accelerated telepsychology uptake; 85 % of surveyed South‑African psychologists offered remote services in 2020–2023, rating the experience largely positive, though public‑sector providers faced connectivity and training barriers :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}. Updated HPCSA telehealth guidelines (2021) now legitimise such practice, setting an ethical frame for further innovation.

Conventional, clinic‑based mental‑health care cannot reach most low‑income or rural communities under the current workforce constraints. Travel costs, language mismatch, appointment backlogs and stigma further widen the service gap. Without disruptive delivery models South Africa—and LMICs broadly—risk entrenching cycles of untreated psychological morbidity that undermine education, employment and public health.

Psychometric web‑applications are promising but untested at scale in LMIC settings. Key uncertainties include (i) reliable internet / device access, (ii) digital literacy and language localisation, (iii) data security and informed consent online, and (iv) clinical governance for unsupervised or semi‑supervised use.

Objective 1. Conduct a scoping review (2000‑2025) of digital cognitive assessments and web‑based psychological interventions employed in LMICs, extracting evidence on validity, reliability, clinical outcomes and cost‑effectiveness.

Objective 2. Implement a pilot web study in South Africa using SapienIndustry to (a) administer an online survey of remote‑work cognitive demands and (b) deliver two browser‑based cognitive tasks (e.g., n‑back working‑memory, Go/No‑Go inhibition). Psychometric properties (completion rate, internal consistency, test–retest stability) will be analysed.

Objective 3. Identify technological, ethical and contextual facilitators/barriers via mixed‑methods interviews with participants and practising psychologists, informing an implementation framework for LMIC deployment.

1. Can core psychological activities (clinical screening, cognitive assessment, brief intervention) be delivered validly through web‑applications in LMIC contexts?
2. In what mental‑health use‑cases (screening, monitoring, guided self‑help) are psychometric web‑apps most cost‑effective?
3. How might such tools attenuate the mental‑health gap in South Africa and comparable LMICs?
4. What technical, ethical and sociocultural threats accompany large‑scale deployment of web‑based psychometrics?

The study provides first‑hand empirical evidence on the practicality of browser‑based assessments in a middle‑income African setting, complementing global findings that digital tools can reduce common‑mental‑disorder symptoms in LMICs :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}. Policymakers will gain a context‑specific roadmap outlining infrastructure needs, localisation requirements and governance safeguards. Outputs will include:

• a peer‑reviewed article for an open‑access journal (e.g., Global Mental Health);
• a technical manual for clinicians on integrating validated web‑apps into stepped‑care models;
• policy briefs aligning findings with the National Digital Health Strategy (2024‑2030).

Bantjes, J., Kagee, A., & Young, C. (2016). Psychosocial barriers to mental health care in South Africa. Cape Town: UCT Press.

Bassil, D. T., et al. (2023). Feasibility of an online consensus approach for diagnosing cognitive impairment in rural South Africa. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnostics, 15(2), e12420. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Burns, J. K. (2011). The mental‑health gap in South Africa: A human‑rights issue. Equal Rights Review, 6, 99‑113.

DataReportal. (2024). Digital 2024: South Africa. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Docrat, S., et al. (2019). Mental health system costs, resources and constraints in South Africa. Health Policy and Planning, 34(9), 706‑719.

Harmse, L. (2014). South Africa’s Gini coefficient: Causes, consequences and possible responses (Doctoral thesis). University of Pretoria.

Harriman, N. W., et al. (2021). Racial disparities in psychological distress in post‑apartheid South Africa. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 56, 1‑15.

Karyotaki, E., et al. (2023). Digital interventions for common mental disorders in LMICs: Systematic review & meta‑analysis. Global Mental Health, 10, e68. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

Raju, A. S., le Roux, H. E., Pretorius, P. J., & Aluko, O. (2024). Psychologists’ experiences with telepsychology during COVID‑19 in South Africa. Health SA Gesondheid, 29, a2392. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

Yang, X., et al. (2023). Effectiveness of digital mental‑health tools in LMICs: Systematic review. JMIR Mental Health, 10, e43066. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

World Health Organization. (2022). Psychologists working in mental‑health sector (per 100 000). :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}