Submissions

Dance Therapy for Mental Health

Dance therapy is a relatively new field of study aimed to address factors concerning the mental health of the individuals. It is a well-known fact that physical movements can nourish the mind, soul, and body with more significant enrichments. In general terms, dance therapy enhances the physical, cognitive, and emotional functions of the body with the psychotherapeutic use of dance and body movements. Practically speaking, it provides a broad range of health benefits with an improvement to an individual’s self-confidence, self-esteem, self-consciousness, and numerous other internal factors. As the study of mental health has become more prevalent in today’s scenario, the need to address various mental health concerns such as anxiety, stress, mood disorders, addiction, depression, and eating disorders have gained remarkable importance. While dance therapy forms the ideal solution for the issues mentioned above, it slightly differs from ordinary dance practice sessions, and it helps the client to recover from specific mental disorders through the use of movement and connection.

Further, there is always reliable connectivity between dance therapy and the brain. Dancing influences, the brain activities to a variety of levels. Researchers have proven that regular practice of aerobic exercises can enhance the reasoning abilities of individuals with improved performance. Also, people who suffer from depression can obtain better results when engaged with recreational dance sessions. Besides, dance therapy enhances social bonds and a friendly relationship with the co-dancers. Each activity, movements, and fluidity act like a stimulator that activates the functions of the human brain more productively.  In precise terms, dance therapy is just one way of practice to improve the overall mental well-being of an individual positively. However, this alone cannot solve every aspect of mental health. Indeed, it requires greater enhancements to the present-day methodologies. Hence this special issue aims to explore advances in dance therapy for mental health. This special issue provides a supportive space for the researchers to discover distinct types of dance therapy approaches to deal with varying human emotions and mental disorders. We welcome researchers and practitioners from science, arts, and psychology to present novel and innovative solutions against this background.

Health Psychology in Healthcare Settings

Health psychologists use psychological methods to understand the behaviour of patients with physical health conditions in relation to illness and healthcare, e.g., adherence to treatment regimes, and then apply that understanding to support patients and health care practitioners in changing and maintaining behaviours. There is growing evidence for the potential for health psychology to have a major impact on patient health outcomes and patient and professional wellbeing.

This issue will focus on health psychology in healthcare settings. These may be primary, secondary or tertiary healthcare settings, but not usually public health. The contents will include but not be limited to: systematic review of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evidence; the design and evaluation of interventions; working with health care professionals to design and implement changes in practice; the introduction of health psychology into multidisciplinary healthcare teams; practicing health psychology. Detailed descriptions of theory-based intervention development in any area of healthcare are particularly welcome.

The topics of interest for the special issue include, but not limited to, the following:

health psychology interventions
health psychology assessment
Rehabilitation of health psychology
health risk behaviours
health related behaviour change
health related cognitions
illness beliefs and behaviours
psychological processes in healthcare delivery

Virtual Reality Neurorehabilitation

The topics of interest for the special issue include, but not limited to, the following:

Application of Virtual Reality in the Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease

Virtual Reality to Reduce Neuropathic Pain

Application of Virtual Reality in Stroke Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality in the Rehabilitation of Movement Disorders after Stroke

Application of Virtual Reality in Rehabilitation Treatment of Mental Illness

Neurorehabilitation Training Based on Visual Feedback

Neurorehabilitation Training Based on Neuroimaging

Evaluation of the Effect of Remote Neurorehabilitation Supported by Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality Assisted Dementia Rehabilitation Treatment

Mental health and well-being in the educational context

Teachers play an essential role in training talents who can make a significant contribution to the community and society. There is increasing evidence that teachers’ occupational health and work well-being substantially impact students’ academic achievement. With the outbreak of the COVID-19, teachers and students are suffering high risks of anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, and other psychological symptoms. This problematic situation has increased teachers’ work insufficiency and students’ learning inability.

This issue focuses on mental health and well-being in educational settings, including teachers from different disciplines and students of diverse ages. We welcome various paper forms, including articles, reviews, reports, and commentaries, using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. 

The topics of interest for the special issue include, but are not limited to, the following:
Teacher’s occupational health psychology
Psychological well-being of students
Educational policy decision difficulty
Educator’s emotional disorders
Interlink between teachers’ and students’ mental health
Behavioral disorders

Disentangling the pathway to the Health of adults' populations: emotional and...

Health has always been a recurring concern in the history of humanity and its study implies a comprehensive and biopsychosocial approach. As stated by the American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The first wealth is health”. Nowadays, although much progress has been made in the health-related quality of life of different populations and in medical and psychological treatments, important challenges remain to be faced. One of them is related to the need to improve the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of people with chronic diseases (i.e., chronic pain, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.). In addition, in a world where stress is considered a pandemic and an increase in emotional disorders are observed, it is crucial to analyze how to reduce them and improve the quality of life of the general population. There are also important health challenges at a social level, related to the high prevalence of phenomena such as gender violence, emotional dependency, bullying and cyberbullying, and the health problems of the most vulnerable groups or those at risk of social exclusion. Research about human health and the implementation of more effective treatments is a continuous necessity to achieve a better society. Therefore, researchers in the field of Health and wellbeing are encouraged to submit original research or review articles to this Special Issue.

Suicide and emotional/behavioral issues among youth: Theoretical and methodologi

Emotional and behavioral issues of youth are a growing international public health concern. Unlike in other age groups, suicide has been the leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. The worldwide increase of other emotional (e.g., depression and anxiety) and behavioral issues (e.g., substance use and delinquency) has been actively discussed together with youth suicide.

A number of theoretical frameworks in suicide and emotional and behavioral problems have explored the mechanism and cause of these issues. However, limited theories have been validated with youth samples and few studies considered diverse backgrounds and cultures of youth across the world. Therefore, it is imperative that we examine the applicability of existing theories to diverse groups of youth across the world. Ultimately, discussing the design of culturally sensitive policies and interventions is needed to promote the long-term positive development of youth.

The aim of this special issue is to provide evidence and insights into research on suicidal, emotional, and behavioral problems of youth with the application of theories and innovative research methodologies. This issue considers “youth” broadly and expansively with the social and psychological definition of adolescence and young adulthood (e.g., development of identity and independence), as well as the biological definition of youth (e.g., from teenagers to late 20s). This special issue mainly focuses on suicide behaviors across different populations and varied contexts but is not limited to this topic. Articles on any important and rising issues with emotional and behavioral problems among youth are also encouraged to be submitted.

We welcome theoretical and empirical papers in social science research including psychology, education, social work, and public health. We especially seek articles that employ novel, innovative, and creative methodological approaches as far too little attention has been paid to these approaches in psychological and educational research compared to other areas in social science, such as economics and politics.

We seek academic papers that have theoretical and methodological contributions to the following topics.

● Important and rising issues in youth suicidal (e.g., suicidal ideation, planning, attempts), emotional (e.g., depression, anxiety), and behavioral problems (e.g, substance use, delinquent behaviors).

● Identification of risk and protective factors of suicidal, emotional, and behavioral issues from any youth groups across the world.

● Validation of theories by using the data from any youth groups across the world.

● Application of any innovative research designs in youth research.

● Culturally and contextually sensitive designs of policy and intervention.

Coping with Life Stress During/After the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on ...

The use of coping strategies has an impact on people’s mental health, quality of life, and psychological well-being. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in educational and social fields, it is necessary to evaluate the coping strategies used to cope with daily stress in the face of the worries of daily life and the situation generated by this pandemic. There is evidence that the use of certain strategies may be associated with greater or lesser prediction of psychopathology, maladjustment, or, in contrast, good mental health, psychological adjustment, and well-being. The pandemic has increased the levels of daily stress, post-traumatic stress, mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, and other daily difficulties in socioemotional management. It has also impacted the academic environment. This necessitates an evaluation of the stress-coping strategies employed in different social, educational, health, and family contexts by analyzing their relationships with psychopathology, psychological adjustment, and maladjustment.

This issue focuses on coping with life stress before/during/after the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health in different contexts, such as family, social, academic, and health. You are invited to submit empirical articles, systematic reviews, or reports of a quantitative or qualitative nature to expand the state of knowledge of this thematic line and that may contribute to improving psychoeducational intervention programs aimed at teaching and promoting effective coping strategies in the face of stress and adversity in different contexts.

The topics of interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

Assessment of stress-coping strategies in different contexts before, during, and after the pandemic

Differences in the use of coping strategies as a function of gender, age, socioeconomic status, and other socio-demographic variables

Coping, psychopathology, psychological adjustment, and maladjustment

Emotion-focused coping, improved coexistence, empathy, and prosocial behavior

Coping with academic and technological stress

Relationships between coping strategies and other psychoeducational variables such as self-efficacy, school anxiety, bullying, violence, aggression, burnout, anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, social and emotional skills, mindfulness, resilience, self-esteem, happiness, life satisfaction, well-being, and quality of life, among many others

Coping, online gambling problems, and internet addiction 

Cultural considerations in coping with daily stress and mental health

Intervention programs for the training of productive or effective coping strategies

Quality of Life, Well-Being and Mental Health in the context of Physical...

There are many definitions and concepts of quality of life and well-being in different disciplines and contexts such as public health, psychology, clinical medicine, social sciences, education, etc. While quality of life can be defined as an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value system in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns (WHO), the term is also closely interconnected with other terms such as well-being, life satisfaction and health, including mental, physical, social, and functional health. Quality of life in medicine applies to healthy lifestyle, and relation between health and disease. World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”. The study of well-being is increasingly researched in the past few decades. This concept is investigated mostly within two perspectives – hedonic and eudaimonic. Hedonic perspective encompasses globally positive life evaluation, and positive over negative emotions. Eudaimonic perspective include various constructs such as self-determination, mastery, growth, relationships with others, and social integration. These perspectives showed useful in the context of exploring adaptation and protective factors in attaining positive functioning. Furthermore, it is known that regular physical activity and healthy lifestyle contribute to physical health indicators, positive mental health, and well-being in different populations, from childhood to older age.

Although much progress has been made in the interdisciplinary research on relationship between quality of life, well-being, mental health and lifestyle, sedentary behaviour and physical activity in recent years, many aspects remain unexplored. For instance, Covid-19 pandemic caused detrimental effects on mental health causing social isolation and physical inactivity. Long-term consequences of these processes are still unknown and unresearched. Likewise, there is still much to investigate regarding possible improvements of mental health and well-being of different populations (including children, elderly, athletes, caregivers and healthcare workers, individuals suffering from chronic disease, etc.) using different interventions in the domain of exercise science/kinesiology, psychology and education.

Therefore, we invite researchers from different fields to contribute to this special issue with their original research or review articles using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed research methods. This issue focuses on quality of life, well-being and mental health in the context of physical activity and health, i.e. relationship and interconnections between these concepts as well as different interventions which aim to improve quality of life, well-being and mental health.

The topics of interest for the special issue include, but are not limited, the following:

• Association between quality of life, well-being and mental health with physical activity, exercise and lifestyle
• Psychological aspects of well-being and quality of life among different populations
• Impact of physical activity and lifestyle interventions on quality of life, well-being and mental health
• Quality of life and well-being among different populations, for example healthy populations such as children, athletes or caregivers and patients with chronic disease, children with disabilities or elderly
• COVID-19 effect on different aspects of quality of life, well-being and mental health and possible countermeasures
• Interventions for improving quality of life, well-being, and mental health in different populations

Role of Social Media in Public Mental Health: Problems and their solutions

This Special Issue intends to effectively assess different negative consequences of social media usage, provide individual improvement techniques based on the study results, and emphasize technology that might enhance mental health levels, particularly in teenagers. This SI will also investigate the impacts of lowering social media usage can help you feel less lonely and isolated, as well as increase your general well-being. We welcome original research and review papers.

Potential themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Methodology and technology for analyzing mental health in social media users.

2. Analyzing the impact of negative comments or posts on individuals using social media.

4. Developing computational models for healthcare analytics pertaining to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression in social media users.

5. Diagnosing and cure of unhealthy self-centeredness

6. Personality disorders diagnosis systems for social media addicted users.

7. Treatment of a fear of missing out (FOMO) in social media-addicted individuals.

8. Rehabilitation of social-media-addicted youth with motivational and physical exercise.

Environmental Exposure and Mental Health

The WHO constitution states: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” There are multiple environmental factors that affect mental health. The general environment factors can be considered from social, natural, and individual dimensions. The social environment is composed of perceptions of the political, economic, sociocultural, as well as legal factors. The natural environment is the thin layer of life and life supports, called the biosphere, that contains the earth's air, soil, water, and living organisms. The individual environment concept refers to the total amount of exposure from internal biological agents. Exploring environmental changes over a complete lifetime may shed light on the explanation of the pathogenesis of mental disorders and may prepare societies for novel mental health promotions and prevention interventions.

In the Special Issue “Environmental Exposure and Mental Health”, we welcome submissions of Original Research, Clinical Trials, Meta-analysis, and Systematic Review addressing the following domains, but not limited to:

▪ Discuss the relationship between environmental (e.g., social, natural, and individual dimensions) and mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, and happiness).

▪ Identification of risk and protective environmental factors of mental health problems.

▪ Validation of theories by using the data from microscopic investigation data and clinical case report data across the world.

▪ Effective policy instruments and intervention for assessing environmental mental health risks.

Advanced Computational Intelligence for Mental Health Evaluation based on Brain-Computer Interface

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
1. Advanced computational intelligence technologies for EEG feature extraction and selection. 
2. Advanced multi-view & transfer learning for mental health evaluation based on EEG signals.
3. Active learning & transfer learning for mental health evaluation based on EEG signals.
4. Explainable machine learning model for mental health evaluation.
5. New design of EEG signal collection devices for mental health evaluation.
6. Advanced optimization methods for machine learning.

Movement Behaviors and Well-being Among Emerging Adults

The concept of emerging adulthood has existed for more than 20 years (Arnett, 2007). With developments of the Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA) (Reifman et al, 2017) and the Markers of Adulthood (MOA) (Arnett, 1998, 2001, 2003), the proposed features of emerging adulthood (i.e., identity exploration, instability, possibility/optimism, self-focus, feeling inbetween, and) and its associated biomarkers (i.e., biological/chronological transitions, role transitions, family capacities, individualism, relational maturity, and norm compliance) have been considered as essential factors in explaining a wide range of health-related outcomes including affect (depression and anxiety) and behaviors (internet addiction, drug use and alcohol abuse). However, at the time of writing, the potential associations between IDEA- and MOA-related measures with movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behavior, and/or sleep pattern) have been largely ignored, especially the above-mentioned two types of measures linking to health-related indicators within a same study. To fill this knowledge gap, our research team has conducted preliminary studies investigating whether the associations between IDEA-features and health-related outcomes can be explained by movement behaviors (i.e., IDEA-features movement behaviors health). Such promising findings has provided new insight into stakeholders (i.e, administers, counselors and physical educators) in school setting in where they should promote movement behaviors of emerging adulthood through a variety of strategies. Meanwhile, more empirical studies on movement behaviors in emerging adulthood are urgently needed to further improve the theory of emerging adulthood.

Psychological Therapy in Education Contexts: Focusing on Teachers’ and Students’ Mental Health based on Cognitive, Emotional, Social, and Behavioral Factors

Due to its emotional and intellectual essence, education is a highly demanding, challenging, and stressful mechanism. That is, teachers and learners in any educational system typically experience a wide variety of challenges and adversities. Because of this, they are prone to various unpleasant emotions, including anxiety, apprehension, stress, and boredom, which may result in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disengagement. This negative mental state may make it difficult for teachers and learners to thrive and function effectively in education settings. Accordingly, factors helping teachers and learners to tolerate educational challenges, manage unpleasant emotions, and engage in instructional-learning contexts need to be identified.

With the advent of psychological therapy, which mainly focuses on individuals’ mental health, factors enabling teachers and students to persevere through challenges and participate in classroom contexts have been widely explored. Yet, factors enabling teachers and learners to engage in courses have remained elusive. Accordingly, the current special issue seeks to bring together original research and review articles investigating personal, emotional, social, and contextual factors that help teachers and learners engage in classrooms despite the potential challenges and adversities.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Impact of personal, emotional, social, and contextual factors on teachers’ well-being

• Influences of personal, emotional, and contextual factors on language learners’ mental health and engagement

• Effects of personal, emotional, and contextual factors on teachers’ resilience

• Impact of personal, emotional, and contextual factors on learners’ resilience and well-being

• Influences of emotion regulation strategies on teachers’ engagement and disengagement

• Implications of personal, emotional, and contextual factors for teachers’ organizational commitment

• Effects of students’ personal and emotional traits on their academic commitment

• Influences of emotional and psychological factors on learners’ sense of belonging

• Impact of self and collective efficacy beliefs on teachers’ emotional and behavioral engagement

• Role of subjective and psychological well-being in teachers’ cognitive engagement    

Social Stress, Adversity, and Mental Health in Transitional China

As China continues to undergo economic development and social change, the stresses and adversities of the transitional period have become a widespread concern. These issues not only have adverse effects on individuals’ physical and mental health but also have important impacts on the development and stability of the entire society. To better understand and address these problems, we invite experts, scholars, and practitioners from all walks of life to explore social stress, adversity, and mental health in transitional China and share their experiences and thoughts.

We welcome submissions that approach the topic from the following angles, but are not limited to:

Sources and influencing factors of social stress and adversity

Psychological crises and challenges in the transitional society

The role and practice of social work in mitigating social stress and adversity

Strategies for preventing and treating mental health problems

The impact of education, employment, and marriage on mental health in transitional China

Internet-based mental health services and support

The aim of this special topic is to promote academic exchange and advance the development of the field. We welcome original research papers, reviews, and practice reports that approach the topic from theoretical, practical, and case analysis perspectives.

We welcome scholars and practitioners to submit their work and make contributions to the exploration of social stress, adversity, and mental health in transitional China.

Learning Motivations, Emotional Engagement, and Academic Psychological Capitals of College Students

Psychological well-being plays an acute role towards harnessing individual behaviors and outcomes in general and also in academics. Students with higher psychological well-being tend to have higher involvement, vigor and absorption in and outside the classroom in college. Students’ active involvement in educational activities is referred to as “student engagement” in the scholarly literature. Though still under discussion, most scholars agree that the three major elements of student engagement are behaviors, cognition, and affections. Among the current literature in the higher education setting, the affective dimension is less investigated in comparison to the other two. It includes the motivations of learning, emotional feelings in studying, as well as psychological well-being of students in college. Motivations reflect students’ understanding of the value of learning, and therefore influence their devotion in studying. For instance, studies with external motivation may consider learning as a means to achieve high grades or obtain qualifications, and therefore may use more surface learning strategies. In comparison, students with internal motivations are motivated by their interests and pleasures in the learning and therefore engaged more in deep learning. Emotions are also important in a way that students who feel safe and supported on campus have higher commitment both academically and socially. In addition, positive psychological states of mind such as enthusiasts, self-efficacy and resilience in learning are also crucial factors to enhance student academic behaviors and outcomes, especially when they encounter difficulties and obstacles. Such attitudinal virtues are called psychological capitals as they are related to people’s potentials and abilities to responsively mange and influence the environment. Learning motivations, emotional involvement, and psychological capitals in the academic setting interweave and influence students’ experience in college. But this dynamic, complex and individual psycho-social process is often overlooked in the current literature under the dominant behavioral perspective to student engagement. It is hard to understand and help students with learning difficulties and disengaged in college without a deep comprehension of their psychological experiences. This special issue, from a psycho-social perspective, aims to explore and understand college students’ motivations and goals of learning, emotional and affective involvement in college, and academic psychological capitals they possess to overcome difficulties in learning. We call for empirical on the following topics, include but not limit to: the current status of students’ learning motivations, emotional engagement, academic psychological capitals in various types of higher education institutions and different countries, factors influencing the above aspects, and the impacts of the above aspects on students’ behavioral and cognitive engagement and learning outcome. Providing a more nuanced understanding of what is happening for individual students, the present special issue hopes to lead to useful suggestions on how to support students better to facilitate their learning and development in college.