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Psychological Distress in Adolescents: Its Prevalence and Relation to Addictive Behaviors

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 468

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anika Toorie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Rhode Island College, 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence, RI 02908, USA
Interests: neuroendocrine physiology; stress and addiction; diet induced obesity; type 2 diabetes; behavioral neuroscience; sex-specificity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Significant changes in neural, endocrine, and reproductive physiology occur during the adolescent period, driving behavioral outcomes, including reward and motivated behaviors. Unsurprisingly, these changes can be influenced by both innate (i.e., genetics, sex hormones, and sex complementation) and external (i.e., dietary status, chemical and stress exposure) factors. Accordingly, psychosocial stressors (i.e., social isolation, bullying, food insecurity) that adversely impact psychological status may modify behavioral outcomes in adolescents, thus promoting addictive behaviors (risk taking, compulsatory, pleasure seeking, etc.) towards a variety of substances and/or activities (i.e., drugs of abuse, palatable diets, sex, the internet). This Special Issue seeks original manuscripts reporting on the prevalence of psychological distress amongst adolescents exposed to discrete psychological stressors and the associated impact on addictive behaviors and addiction prevalence. We also welcome research reports that detail anatomical, molecular, electrophysiological, and neuroendocrine alterations underlying behavioral changes, as well as those addressing sex specificity and the transmission of risk factors that promote addictive behaviors. We encourage the submission of original basic science, translational, and clinical papers produced from interdisciplinary collaborations, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis. 

Dr. Anika Toorie
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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

  • psychosocial stress
  • anxiety
  • adolescent
  • addiction
  • depression
  • endocrine physiology
  • neurodevelopment
  • behavioral neuroscience
  • substance misuse/abuse
  • motivated behavior

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 939 KiB  
Article
Substance Use Problems and Death of Despair in a 32-Year Follow-Up Study of Suicide Attempters Examined at a Medical Emergency Inpatient Unit
by Erik Niwhede, Jonas Berge, Agneta Öjehagen and Sara Lindström
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(4), 575; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040575 - 6 Apr 2025
Viewed by 361
Abstract
Deaths of despair (DoD), encompassing suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related mortality, are often linked to social and psychological distress. This study examined the long-term risk of DoD among individuals previously hospitalized for suicide attempts, with a focus on substance use problems and psychiatric [...] Read more.
Deaths of despair (DoD), encompassing suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related mortality, are often linked to social and psychological distress. This study examined the long-term risk of DoD among individuals previously hospitalized for suicide attempts, with a focus on substance use problems and psychiatric disorders as potential risk factors. A prospective cohort of 1044 individuals admitted to inpatient care following a suicide attempt between 1987 and 1998 was followed for up to 32 years using national registers. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess associations between psychiatric diagnoses and mortality outcomes. The results showed that substance use problems, compared to no such problems, were associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality but not DoD. In secondary analyses, dysthymia was linked to an increased risk of suicide but not non-suicidal DoD, suggesting distinct underlying mechanisms. Notably, aside from gender, no control variables were significantly associated with non-suicidal DoD, indicating that other factors may play a more prominent role in this high-risk population. These findings challenge the traditional DoD framework and highlight the need for tailored prevention efforts that consider the distinct risk profiles of suicide and non-suicidal DoD. Future research should incorporate socioeconomic and demographic factors to enhance understanding and prevention strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Distress in Adolescents: Its Prevalence and Relation to Addictive Behaviors)
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