Psychological Distress in Adolescents: Its Prevalence and Relation to Addictive Behaviors
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 23
Special Issue Editor
Interests: neuroendocrine physiology; stress and addiction; diet induced obesity; type 2 diabetes; behavioral neuroscience; sex-specificity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Significant changes in neural, endocrine, and reproductive physiology occur during the adolescent period, driving behavioral outcomes, including reward and motivated behaviors. Unsurprisingly, these changes can be influenced by both innate (i.e., genetics, sex hormones, and sex complementation) and external (i.e., dietary status, chemical and stress exposure) factors. Accordingly, psychosocial stressors (i.e., social isolation, bullying, food insecurity) that adversely impact psychological status may modify behavioral outcomes in adolescents, thus promoting addictive behaviors (risk taking, compulsatory, pleasure seeking, etc.) towards a variety of substances and/or activities (i.e., drugs of abuse, palatable diets, sex, the internet). This Special Issue seeks original manuscripts reporting on the prevalence of psychological distress amongst adolescents exposed to discrete psychological stressors and the associated impact on addictive behaviors and addiction prevalence. We also welcome research reports that detail anatomical, molecular, electrophysiological, and neuroendocrine alterations underlying behavioral changes, as well as those addressing sex specificity and the transmission of risk factors that promote addictive behaviors. We encourage the submission of original basic science, translational, and clinical papers produced from interdisciplinary collaborations, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis.
Dr. Anika Toorie
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.
Keywords
- psychosocial stress
- anxiety
- adolescent
- addiction
- depression
- endocrine physiology
- neurodevelopment
- behavioral neuroscience
- substance misuse/abuse
- motivated behavior
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.
