Disordered Eating and/or Sleep Disturbance Among Trauma-Exposed Adolescents and Adults

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting paper submissions for a Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences focusing on disordered eating behaviors and/or sleep disturbances among adolescents and adults (ages 12 and up) with a history of trauma exposure. Drs. Emily Tilstra-Ferrell, Alex Brockdorf, and Christine Hahn are serving as Co-Guest Editors for this Special Issue. Disordered eating and sleep disturbances disproportionately impact adolescents and adults with trauma exposure. A growing body of research recognizes the co-occurrence of disordered eating and sleep disturbance, but this overlap has not yet been widely examined among trauma-exposed  people.  

The focus of this Special Issue is the prevalence, etiology, and tailored treatments for disordered eating and/or sleep disturbance among adolescents and adults with lifetime trauma exposure. Research among civilian and veteran samples are both of interest. We welcome submissions with a focus on either eating or sleep among trauma-exposed populations; however, submissions need not focus on both eating and sleep. Submissions related to the intersection of disordered eating, sleep disturbances, and traumatic stress are of particularly interest. 

Submissions focused on the following areas are particularly encouraged:

• The prevalence and predictors of disordered eating symptoms (e.g., restrictive eating, binge eating, purging, body dissatisfaction/body image disturbance) and/or sleep disturbances (e.g., insufficient and/or poor-quality sleep, insomnia, hypersomnolence, nightmares and other parasomnias, circadian rhythm disorders, sleep apnea) among trauma-exposed adolescents or adults.
• Innovative approaches to prevention, tailored, or integrated treatments and other clinical considerations for trauma-exposed adolescents or adults who present with disordered eating and/or sleep disturbances.  
• The etiology and/or treatment of co-occurring traumatic stress symptoms, disordered eating, and sleep disturbances among adolescents and/or adults.
• Individuals who are historically under-represented may face unique barriers to treatment and may have varied presentations of disordered eating and/or sleep. We welcome submissions that focus on disordered eating and/or sleep among trauma-exposed adolescents or adults in groups that are under-represented in this scientific literature (e.g., low-income individuals/families, people with physical disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, racial/ethnic minorities).

Abstract submissions for consideration in the Special Issue will be accepted up to July 30, 2025, at 12 pm. Invited manuscripts will be due by January 31, 2026.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Dr. Emily L. Tilstra-Ferrell
Dr. Alexandra N. Brockdorf
Dr. Christine Hahn
Guest Editors

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. 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 2200 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.

• adolescents
• adults
• trauma exposure
• traumatic stress symptoms
• eating disorders
• disordered eating behaviors
• body image/dissatisfaction
• sleep
• sleep–wake disorders
• insomnia