Social Support, Social Networks, Community Integration, and Recovery for People with Serious Mental Illness or Substance Use Disorders
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2026 | Viewed by 42
Special Issue Editors
Interests: community-based participatory research; social networks; social determinants of health; recovery; implementation science; serious mental illness; substance use disorders
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
People with serious mental illness (SMI) or substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently see their social networks and community support disappear, which adversely affects their health outcomes and lifespan. People with SMI often face stigmatization and, consequently, community exclusion, leading to an over-reliance on mental health services and distancing them from the lives that they desire. Enhancing community integration, encompassing access to housing, employment, primary healthcare, and other essential community resources, is critical in improving quality of life and life expectancy for this population. Recovery-orientated interventions, such as peer support, have played a significant role in promoting community integration by fostering essential social relationships and networks. Unfortunately, indicators such as unemployment rates among those who want to work, housing stability, income levels, poverty, life expectancy, quality of life, access to healthcare systems, and other social determinants reveal that people with SMI or SUDs are far from achieving full integration into their communities. This Special Issue will be dedicated to publishing research, editorial opinions, and service descriptions aiming to advance strategies, services, methodology, and interventions supporting people with SMI or SUDs in becoming meaningful and fully integrated community members. By prioritizing community integration, we can help these individuals lead fulfilling lives within the communities that they aspire to be part of.
Dr. Mark Costa
Dr. Megan Evans
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. 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
- community integration
- social network
- recovery
- serious mental illness
- substance use disorder
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.
