Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.1
3.2
Journals
Behavioral Sciences
Special Issues
Promoting Women’s Mental Health
share announcement

Promoting Women’s Mental Health

A Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X) belonging to the section "Health Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 April 2027 | Viewed by 2217

Editor

Dr. Omolade Allen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Interests: women’s health; ethnic minority health; migrants’ health; faith-based organisation; health education and promotion; public health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research into women’s mental health has gained increasing recognition as a critical area of inquiry in public health, yet significant gaps remain in understanding the unique and intersecting influences that shape women’s psychological wellbeing across the life course. Across women’s lifespan, biological processes such as menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, and reproductive health intersect with social determinants of health, resulting in varied responses to societal issues such as gendered role expectations, socioeconomic challenges, and work–life balance. These intersecting factors contribute to differential risks of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and stress-related illnesses.

Despite growing awareness, women’s mental health remains underrepresented in empirical research and policy, particularly for those from minority, marginalised, and low-resource settings. There is an urgent need to expand evidence on prevention, early identification, and intervention strategies that are culturally sensitive, intersectional, and equity-focused.

We are pleased to invite contributions to this Special Issue, Promoting Women’s Mental Health, that advance theoretical, methodological, and applied knowledge in this domain, and we particularly welcome interdisciplinary scholarship from psychology, sociology, public health, gender studies, and related fields. Methodological diversity is encouraged, including longitudinal studies, narrative and qualitative inquiry, community-based interventions, and pilot or feasibility studies. We are interested in contributions from underrepresented populations and regions, illuminating protective factors and resilience processes, and proposing innovative practices that improve mental health outcomes for women globally.

Dr. Omolade Allen
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

  • women’s health
  • health promotion
  • mental health
  • public health
  • gender

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.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

22 pages, 862 KB  
Article
Mind–Body Exercise, Cognitive Reappraisal, Brooding, and Psychological Distress Among Middle-Aged Women
by Lin Yan, Rong Li, Guodong Zhang and Wenbin Liu
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 1596; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16091596 - 8 Sep 2026
Viewed by 283
Abstract
Mind–body exercise may support psychological well-being, but the cognitive–emotional processes associated with psychological distress among middle-aged women remain unclear. This cross-sectional study examined cognitive reappraisal and brooding as potential indirect pathways linking mind–body exercise participation with psychological distress. In May 2026, 423 women [...] Read more.
Mind–body exercise may support psychological well-being, but the cognitive–emotional processes associated with psychological distress among middle-aged women remain unclear. This cross-sectional study examined cognitive reappraisal and brooding as potential indirect pathways linking mind–body exercise participation with psychological distress. In May 2026, 423 women aged 40–55 years who had regularly participated in mind–body exercise at least once per week during the previous three months completed a paper-based questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted, and specific indirect effects were estimated using bootstrap procedures. Greater mind–body exercise participation was associated with more frequent cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.430, p < 0.001) and lower brooding (β = −0.274, p < 0.001). Cognitive reappraisal was negatively associated with brooding (β = −0.309, p < 0.001) and psychological distress (β = −0.322, p < 0.001), whereas brooding was positively associated with psychological distress (β = 0.353, p < 0.001). Significant negative indirect associations were observed through cognitive reappraisal (effect = −0.0032), through brooding (effect = −0.0024), and through the serial sequence of cognitive reappraisal and brooding (effect = −0.0010), with all bootstrap confidence intervals excluding zero. These findings highlight cognitive reappraisal and brooding as potentially important cognitive–emotional processes associated with the relationship between mind–body exercise participation and psychological distress among middle-aged women, providing a basis for future longitudinal and intervention research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women’s Mental Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 798 KB  
Article
The Potential Pathway Among Self-Focused Attention, Rumination, Perceived Stress and Female Psychosomatic Symptoms
by Moya Xu and Shulin Chen
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1266; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16081266 - 23 Jul 2026
Viewed by 374
Abstract
Psychosomatic symptoms are common among females and involve complex psychological and cognitive processes. This study examined the relationships among self-focused attention (SFA), rumination, perceived stress, and psychosomatic symptoms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in China among 839 women (mean age = 26.50 ± [...] Read more.
Psychosomatic symptoms are common among females and involve complex psychological and cognitive processes. This study examined the relationships among self-focused attention (SFA), rumination, perceived stress, and psychosomatic symptoms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in China among 839 women (mean age = 26.50 ± 6.08 years). Standardized questionnaires assessed SFA, rumination, perceived stress, anxiety symptoms, and somatic symptoms. Correlation, hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were performed. Psychosomatic symptoms were positively correlated with perceived stress, rumination, and SFA. SFA was positively correlated with rumination but not with perceived stress. SEM indicated a full mediation pattern in which rumination and perceived stress mediated the relationship between SFA and psychosomatic symptoms. The indirect path through rumination alone was not significant, whereas the indirect path through perceived stress alone and the chained indirect path through rumination and perceived stress were significant. The final SEM fit indices were (χ2 [70] = 441.460, χ2/df = 6.307, CFI = 0.965, IFI = 0.965, TLI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.080 [0.073–0.087], SRMR = 0.079, RMR = 0.037). The findings suggest that SFA may be associated with psychosomatic symptoms through different pathways. Given the online convenience sampling and the relatively limited age distribution, the findings should be generalized cautiously to broader female populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women’s Mental Health)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 389 KB  
Review
Biopsychosocial Influences on the Gut Microbiome in Women’s Health: Moving Towards Eubiosis
by Ashley J. Blount, Kara Schneider, Abby L. Bjornsen, Thang S. Tran, Gurudutt Pendyala and Tiffany A. Moore
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(5), 627; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16050627 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 745
Abstract
Research on the human microbiome, particularly the gut microbiome, has expanded rapidly as its influence on health and behavior becomes increasingly evident. Once understood primarily in terms of digestion and immune function, the microbiome is now recognized as a key contributor to brain [...] Read more.
Research on the human microbiome, particularly the gut microbiome, has expanded rapidly as its influence on health and behavior becomes increasingly evident. Once understood primarily in terms of digestion and immune function, the microbiome is now recognized as a key contributor to brain function, mood regulation, and social behavior. Emerging evidence links microbial dysbiosis to the onset and persistence of mood disorders, opening new pathways for mental health research and intervention. This paper challenges reductionist biomedical models by advancing a biopsychosocial framework for interpreting health outcomes related to microbiome dynamics. The gut–brain axis illustrates the biological complexity of these interactions, with microbial communities shaping neurodevelopment and neurotransmitter production. Psychologically, alterations in microbial composition have been associated with depression, anxiety, and stress responsivity, while social determinants—including early-life environments, socioeconomic conditions, and relationships—structure microbial variation in ways that may reinforce existing health inequities. Focusing on women’s health, this narrative review examines how microbial states both influence and are shaped by interconnected biological, psychological, and social factors. Interdisciplinary implications of microbiome research for understanding and achieving eubiosis and holistic models care in both research and clinical practice are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women’s Mental Health)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop