Call for Papers for Special Issue on “Mental health in times of crisis”

15.04.2020

We are currently facing a global pandemic that no one could have imagined at the end of last year. At this point, it's hard to think of the overall consequences, however, what we can be sure of and what current clinical practice points, together with first published works, is that the burden on mental health will be significant. We know that the Chinese symbol for crisis is made from two ideograms that together mean a crisis, but separate, the first means danger and the second, possibility. These circumstances will certainly lead to a decrease in mental health, more specifically there will be an increase of anxiety, depression, stress, and addictions. Domestic violence is expected to become more frequent, as well as the negative effects on the mental health of children. At this moment, health workers are particularly at risk, since they are first line of defense against a pandemic and there is first research evidence published that their mental health has been impaired. However, we must not forget that, after the crisis, some positive changes may appear, and it is important to focus research attention on this aspect as well.

Different countries have responded to the pandemic problem in different ways; therefore, we invite authors from different countries to submit their papers in order to gain additional insight into the impact of social circumstances in crisis on mental health.

This special issue of Primenjena psihologija accepts submissions in the forms of: quantitative or qualitative research, case studies, and systematic literature review, related to relevant topics in the applied context. The following list of topics may serve as illustration and inspiration; however, it is non-exhaustive as other relevant topics shall also be considered.

  • Predictors of stress, anxiety and depression
  • Mental health of medical workers
  • Mental health in changed school setting
  • Psychological help in the times of crises
  • Mental health in changed occupational settings
  • Alcohol and drug abuse
  • Effects of isolation on mental health
  • Domestic violence during the pandemic

All submitted papers are subject to a double-blind peer-review process. The submission deadline is September 15, 2020, and accepted papers are to be published in Vol. 13, No. 4 (December 2020). The authors are requested to submit their papers (in English) electronically by using the web site primenjena.psihologija.ff.uns.ac.rs. For all necessary information regarding the manuscript preparation please check the Author Guidelines section.

Sincerely,
Guest Editor


Prof. Dr. Anita Lauri Korajlija
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia