Letter of Intent Deadline: January 31, 2023
Social ties can facilitate overall wellbeing, recovery from acute illness, and self-management of chronic conditions. The International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (IJBM) announces a special call for papers focused on social isolation and loneliness in the context of acute (e.g., injury, surgical recovery) or chronic (e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease, arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes) illness.
Behavioral Medicine research from all scientific areas and across the translational spectrum is welcome. In fact, research that bridges the intersections of behavioral medicine and other areas of research (e.g., neuroscience, medical practice, nursing, public health, education, health psychology, environmental science) are likely to make a strong contribution.
Areas of work might include:
- Empirical papers describing the application of existing theoretical frameworks to the context of social isolation or loneliness in different illnesses.
- Processes by which loneliness and social isolation lead to positive or negative impacts on health, wellbeing, illness, or recovery.
- Papers reporting the results of trials evaluating efficacy of interventions to mitigate the impact of social isolation or loneliness.
- Research on social aspects of caring for a person with acute or chronic illness (i.e., family care partners, young adult care partners, medical professionals).
- Studies of the mechanisms, processes, and trajectories involved in loneliness and social isolation that inform intervention development.
- Investigations observing or harnessing social media to improve health outcomes or prevent illness.
- Manuscripts reporting on the basic individual, social, and biobehavioral processes by which loneliness and isolation have positive or negative impacts across the lifespan.
- Reports on cognitive, neuroendocrine, immune, or other biobehavioral concomitants of loneliness and social isolation.
IJBM accepts papers reporting on original empirical research including applied and clinical trial research, qualitative reports, experimental studies, and observational research; systematic reviews and meta-analytic studies; and brief reports. Submissions that integrate the existing science, present a strong conceptual grounding in behavioral medicine, or point the field to opportunities for future progress are desired.
More information about the editorial process and requirements for Letters of Intent (LOIs) can be found here.
