Special Issue "Epidemiology and Mental Health among Older Adults"
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 May 2021.
Special Issue Editors

Interests: psychiatric epidemiology; gerontology; late-life depression; frailty; falls; healthy aging; long-term care; suicide among older adults

Interests: digital peer support; older adults, technology, mental health and physical health co-morbidities
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The proportion of adults aged 60 years and older in the population is expanding worldwide, and is expected to nearly double by 2050. With this expansion comes a growing need for public health research focused on improving and maintaining health and quality of life among older adults. There is growing recognition of the unique challenges to optimal mental health faced by older adults. Nearly 20% of older adults experience some type of mental health concern, most commonly but not limited to neurological disorders, depression, and substance abuse. Older adults with mental health disorders are at greater risk of functional and physical decline, disability, early mortality, and numerous other poor health outcomes. Moreover, poor mental health may adversely affect the course and treatment of other chronic mental and physical health conditions, leading to increased healthcare use and expenditures. These effects are compounded by the under-identification and under-treatment of mental health problems among older adults.
This Special Issue is intended to inform the development of policies and interventions to promote optimal mental health in aging, through population-based studies of the distribution and determinants of mental health in older adults. This includes but is not limited to the following topics:
- Differences in the incidence and prevalence of mental health disorders by culture, race, region, urbanicity, and other characteristics;
- Identification of social, environmental, and other determinants of mental health in later life;
- Evaluation of population-based mental health interventions or policies;
- Physiological outcomes associated with mental health disorders in later life;
- Mental health in long-term care;
- Polypharmacology and substance abuse;
- Elder abuse;
- Social isolation and loneliness.
Original articles, literature reviews, brief reports, and commentaries are welcomed.
Dr. Matthew Lohman
Dr. Karen Fortuna
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 papers will be 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 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 2300 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
- Older adults
- Mental health
- Epidemiology
- Dementia
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Establishing a Research Agenda
Authors: Irwin, K.; Walker, R.; Fortuna, K.
Affiliation: Dartmouth College, Department of Psychiatry
Title: Does Social Isolation Mediate Greater Fall Risk Among Older Adults with Depression?
Authors: Lohman, M.; Fairchild, A.; Merchant, A.
Affiliation: University of South Carolina, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Department of Psychology
Title: Time-Varying Insomnia Symptoms are Associated with Incidence of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Older US Adults
Authors: Resciniti, N.; Yelverton, V.; Kase, B.; Zhang, J.; Lohman, M.
Affiliation: 1.Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
2.Department of Health Services Policy & Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC