Interdisciplinary Advances: Bridging Clinical Medicine and Clinical Psychology

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 May 2027 | Viewed by 1079

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
Interests: clinical psychology; psychopathology; quality of life; psycho-immunology; depressive and anxiety symptoms and disorders and chronic illnesses
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Guest Editor

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Guest Editor
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Interests: mental disorder; clinical and health psychology

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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Policlinico Universitario Messina, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Interests: neurotoxicology; epidemiology; stress conditions; health psychology; clinical psychology and health; anxiety

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, “Interdisciplinary Advances: Bridging Clinical Medicine and Clinical Psychology”.

Brain health and mental well-being reflect the complex interplay between cognitive function, emotional resilience, physical conditions, and systemic biological processes. Recent advances in neuroscience, clinical medicine, clinical psychology, and public health have underscored the importance of a healthcare-oriented approach to brain health, one that goes beyond the study of isolated neurological or psychiatric disorders to consider their broader impact on patient care, disease progression, and health outcomes.

This Special Issue welcomes interdisciplinary and translational contributions that investigate brain health through a clinical and healthcare perspective. We particularly seek studies that explore how medical conditions, such as inflammatory, autoimmune, infectious, chronic or metabolic diseases, may affect brain function and psychological well-being and how such insights can be useful for prevention, assessment, treatment, and psychological care.

We encourage the submission of papers that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

-Chronic and systemic inflammation affecting cognitive and emotional function, with implications for compliance, clinical diagnosis, adherence, management, and outcomes.

-Brain–body interactions in chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal diseases) and their influence on perceived health-related quality of life.

-Mental health consequences of physical illness (e.g., fatigue, depression, anxiety, cognitive fog) and their integration into patient-centered and psychological care.

-The clinical application of multimodal diagnostic and monitoring tools, such as neuroimaging, biomarkers, and digital health technologies, in guiding personalized treatment and follow-up.

-Preventive strategies and lifestyle interventions (e.g., physical activity, diet, cognitive training) to promote brain health within healthcare and public health frameworks.

-Multidimensional care models that combine different and complementary areas to address the complex needs of medical patients.

By fostering collaboration among neuroscientists, clinicians, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and public health experts, this Special Issue aims to advance a comprehensive and clinically relevant understanding of these complex conditions.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Gabriella Martino
Prof. Dr. Carmelo M. Vicario
Dr. Chiara Spatola
Dr. Concetto Giorgianni
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 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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • clinical psychology
  • health psychology
  • chronic diseases
  • QoL
  • osteoporosis
  • asthma
  • cardiovascular
  • gastrointestinal
  • IBD
  • diabetes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 342 KB  
Article
Personality, Emotion Regulation, and Psychological Distress in Italian Women with Feeding and Eating Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Maria Rosaria Juli, Laura Muzi, Valentina Tavoloni and Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe
Healthcare 2026, 14(11), 1517; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14111517 - 29 May 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Feeding and Eating Disorders (FEDs) are among the most challenging mental disorders due to their pervasive symptomatology and high relapse rates. While considerable research has focused on the role of personality in the onset and maintenance of FEDs, it remains unclear [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Feeding and Eating Disorders (FEDs) are among the most challenging mental disorders due to their pervasive symptomatology and high relapse rates. While considerable research has focused on the role of personality in the onset and maintenance of FEDs, it remains unclear whether specific personality dimensions and emotion dysregulation mechanisms predict clinical severity and purging behaviors. This study aimed to explore the role of personality dimensions, emotion dysregulation, and purging behaviors in predicting psychological distress in patients with FEDs, adopting a dimensional and integrated perspective. Methods: A sample of cisgender women in a semi-residential treatment for FEDs or obesity (n = 124) was recruited in southern Italy and assessed using a psychodiagnostics survey, including the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). Results: Patients with bulimia nervosa exhibited higher psychological distress compared to patients with other FEDs and Obesity, which was not significantly determined by the co-occurrence of personality disorders. Negative affectivity, detachment, and purging symptoms were significantly related to psychological distress in patients with FEDs and Obesity (p ranging from 0.028 to <0.001). Moreover, the results showed an indirect effect of emotion regulation on the relationship between self-esteem and purging symptoms in patients with FEDs and Obesity (β = 0.107; p = 0.046). Conclusions: These findings suggest that specific personality dimensions, emotion dysregulation, and purging symptoms are associated with psychological distress in individuals with FEDs and Obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect on the impact of these psychological components in planning tailored treatment for FED patients. Full article
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Review

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13 pages, 505 KB  
Review
Alexithymia and Cyberchondria: A Scoping Review with Implications for Healthcare Contexts
by Daniela Marchetti, Melissa D’Ettorre, Luigia Zito and Piero Porcelli
Healthcare 2026, 14(11), 1505; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14111505 - 28 May 2026
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Abstract
Background: Cyberchondria is characterized by compulsive online health information seeking with additional psychological characteristics of behavioral addictions. Alexithymia, a transdiagnostic factor, is associated with difficulties in recognizing and differentiating emotions from bodily sensations. These characteristics may facilitate cyberchondria as a maladaptive strategy employed [...] Read more.
Background: Cyberchondria is characterized by compulsive online health information seeking with additional psychological characteristics of behavioral addictions. Alexithymia, a transdiagnostic factor, is associated with difficulties in recognizing and differentiating emotions from bodily sensations. These characteristics may facilitate cyberchondria as a maladaptive strategy employed to cope with health anxiety. The present scoping review aims to examine the evidence regarding the association between alexithymia and cyberchondria. Methods: The scoping review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A comprehensive search of major databases (i.e., PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) and grey literature sources (i.e., ProQuest and Google Scholar) was conducted. Data extraction was centered on the study’s design, the characteristics of the sample, the tools utilized, the primary findings, and other relevant variables. Results: A total of 139 records were identified from the databases, and four studies met the inclusion criteria. An additional study was selected from grey literature. The included studies involved different populations, including healthcare workers, university students, and patients with chronic conditions. Across these populations, a significant association between alexithymia and cyberchondria was consistently reported, considering both total scores and their respective dimensions. Furthermore, alexithymia mediated or moderated the relationship between other psychological factors (e.g., perceived stress, somatosensory amplification) and cyberchondria. Conclusions: The scoping review revealed limited but growing research indicating the potential influence of alexithymia on cyberchondria, with implications for clinical and healthcare contexts. The findings also highlighted gaps in the literature and the need for further research in this area. Full article
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