Substance Abuse and Disordered Eating
A Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 17 January 2027 | Viewed by 263
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Individuals affected by disordered eating frequently engage in substance use as a means of appetite suppression, emotion regulation, or compensation for binge–purge cycles, while those with substance use disorders may exhibit elevated rates of maladaptive eating patterns. Meta-analytic evidence indicates that the prevalence of lifetime substance use disorders is approximately 16–22% among people with eating disorders—substantially higher in binge-purge subtypes—and, conversely, that up to 35% of individuals in substance use treatment may meet criteria for an eating disorder. Shared mechanisms include dysregulated reward processing, impulsivity, trauma histories, emotion dysregulation, and sociocultural influences around body image and substance access. These bidirectional relationships complicate clinical presentation and underscore the need for integrated, transdiagnostic approaches over siloed interventions.
This Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences, “Substance Use and Disordered Eating”, invites contributions that will advance our understanding of this intersection with empirical studies on prevalence and correlates, investigations of etiological pathways (neurobiological, psychological, and environmental), evaluations of adapted treatments or prevention strategies, and qualitative insights into lived experiences.
We welcome original research, reviews, theoretical papers, and applied work that will broaden our existing knowledge and inform multidisciplinary care, routine screening, and stigma reduction.
Abstract Deadline: July 2026
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: August 2026
Submission Deadline: January 17, 2027
Dr. Shannon N. Speed
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences 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 2400 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
- substance use disorders
- disordered eating
- eating disorders
- comorbidity
- binge eating
- impulsivity
- alcohol use
- stimulant misuse
- addiction
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.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
