Psychological Research on Sexual and Social Relationships

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the advent of technology has led to critical transformations in the way individuals communicate, connect, and sexually interact with each other. This is particularly true in the case of adolescents and young adults, whose perception of sexual and social relationships strongly presents the daily exploitation of technological tools, the common use of social media, and the autonomous access to a wide range of information on topics such as sexual health, intimacy, emotions, and body changes. The discussion on these issues in the institutional and public debates has contributed to raising awareness on subjects that were previously highly stigmatized, i.e., gender identities, non-heterosexual relationships, and female sexuality. On the other side, people’s attitudes toward intimate and social relationships are still significantly influenced by gender stereotypes, sexual scripts, and prejudices about “non-normative” identities, especially when it comes to the perception and the perpetration of abusive behaviors. Given the power of mass media in shaping users’ expectations, as well as the several changes previously mentioned about people’s understanding of sexual and social relationships, exploring such issues from a psychological perspective is noteworthy.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a scholarly space for studies that focus on these processes. This includes but is not limited to research on the following:

• The role of psychosocial factors on sexual and social relationships;
• The effect of technology on sexual, romantic, and social relationships;
• Abusive behaviors in sexual and social relationships, even in the online context;
• Factors affecting individuals’ wellbeing in the context of social relationships;
• The influence of the broader social context on relationships for members of stigmatized groups;
• Social vulnerability in online and offline contexts.

Prof. Dr. Chiara Rollero
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. 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.

• wellbeing in social relationships
• intimate relationships
• gender stereotypes
• social media
• sexual abuse
• intimate partner violence
• homosociality