Attachment and Mental Health
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 9155
Special Issue Editor
2. Occupational Therapy, School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland (UQ), Saint Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
Interests: attachment; mental health; parenting; neuroscience; therapeutic relationship; trust; mentalizing; trauma; stress
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Attachment theory was first introduced in the seminal work of British psychoanalyst John Bowlby [1], who later famously claimed that “Successful parenting is a principal key to the mental health of the next generation” [2]. While this tenet holds true more than 30 years later, the field has evolved substantially. This is related, in part, to the massive growth of neuroscience [3], the ongoing emergence of attachment measures for all age groups, and the evolution of new concepts such as “attachment neuroscience” [4] and “modern attachment theory” [5].
Fundamental to attachment theory are our early experiences of stress, and appropriate co-regulation/self-regulation, for development of the neural systems supporting behavioural, social/interpersonal (e.g., trust, mentalization), emotional, motivational, and developmental outcomes. Insecure attachment patterns have, in turn, been linked to longer term physical and mental health challenges through individuals’ implicit internal working models. While evidence regarding the links between attachment and mental health have grown, there is still much to understand to improve the evidence base and inform better ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating mental illness.
Potential topics for this special issue include, but are not limited to:
- Attachment insights for diagnoses e.g., borderline personality disorder.
- Long-term implications of childhood stress/trauma and attachment for mental health.
- Links between attachment and mental health in clinical samples.
- Attachment and regulation, including self-regulation and dyadic regulation.
- Attachment and trauma.
- Attachment and substance use in relation to trauma and mental health.
- Attachment theory and mental health treatment, including the therapeutic relationship and client behaviours.
- Outcomes from attachment-informed interventions.
- Attachment and mental health care utilization.
Submissions relating to links between attachment patterns and mental health during childhood and adolescence, and prospective studies, are especially welcome.
References
- Bowlby, J. The nature of the child’s tie to his mother. Int. J. Psychoanal. 1958, XXXIX, 1–23.
- Bowlby, J. A Secure Base. Basic Books: New York, NY, USA, 1988.
- Yeung, A. W. K., Goto, T. K., Leung, W. K. The changing Landsc. of neuroscience research, 2006–2015: A bibliometric study. Front. Neurosci. 2017, 11. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00120
- Coan, J. A. Toward a neuroscience of attachment. In Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications. Cassidy J. & Shaver P. R., Eds.; The Guilford Press: New York, NY, USA, 2008, pp. 241–265.
- Schore. J. R., Schore, A. N. Modern Attachment Theory: The Central Role of Affect Regulation in Development and Treatment. Clin. Soc. Work. J. 2008, 36, 9–20. doi 10.1007/s10615-007-0111-7
Prof. Dr. Pamela Meredith
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
