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Emerging Clinical Insights into Adolescent Behavioral Development and Mental Health
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Emerging Clinical Insights into Adolescent Behavioral Development and Mental Health

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2025) | Viewed by 6711

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ainzara Favini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, 00193 Rome, Italy
Interests: temperamental and personality profiles; personality and emotions; internalizing/externalizing symptoms; adolescents' health; adolescents' self-efficacy; online behaviors; cyberbullying and other online risks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anne-Marie Iselin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Psychology Department, Elon University, Elon, NC, USA
Interests: child clinical psychology; emotion regulation; parenting; cross-cultural research; juvenile justice; psychological adjustment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As we well know, adolescence is one of the most critical periods during the lifespan, characterized by a number of challenges. During this period, youths are exposed to many developmental demands and changes in many domains of functioning, such as biological, cognitive, emotional, and relational.

How adolescents face these demands sets the basis for different successful or unsuccessful developmental trajectories, and understanding the mechanisms, processes, and antecedents of those pathways is crucial for promoting youths’ and adults’ mental health, as well as for preventing psychopathology. Nowadays, there are many more challenges in this field for researchers and clinicians due to the substantial transformation of youths’ daily contexts, which implies further demands for their development.

Thus, the general aim of this Special Issue is to provide further examinations of the complex world in which adolescents live nowadays, with a particular lens on the mechanisms that can predict or influence their behavioral development and mental adjustment, especially in clinical contexts.

Dr. Ainzara Favini
Dr. Anne-Marie Iselin
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. Journal of Clinical Medicine 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 2600 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

  • adolescence
  • behavioral development
  • clinical maladjustment
  • adolescents’ mental health
  • innovative clinical approach
  • adolescents’ emotional problems
  • clinical settings
  • innovative developmental research
  • adolescents’ symptoms

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 433 KB  
Article
Association Between Family Dysfunction and Risk for Eating Disorders in Adolescents
by Mario J. Valladares-Garrido, Camila I. Medina-Quispe, Darwin A. León-Figueroa, María Julia Cómina-Tamayo, Luz A. Aguilar-Manay, Jassmin Santin Vásquez, Danai Valladares-Garrido, César J. Pereira-Victorio, Víctor J. Vera-Ponce and Oriana Rivera-Lozada
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(5), 1726; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15051726 - 25 Feb 2026
Viewed by 538
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Risk for eating disorders (ED risk) in adolescents is strongly influenced by psychosocial factors, particularly family dysfunction. The COVID-19 pandemic may have intensified these risks by disrupting family dynamics and increasing stress exposure. This study aimed to examine the association between [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Risk for eating disorders (ED risk) in adolescents is strongly influenced by psychosocial factors, particularly family dysfunction. The COVID-19 pandemic may have intensified these risks by disrupting family dynamics and increasing stress exposure. This study aimed to examine the association between family dysfunction and ED risk among school adolescents in Lambayeque, Peru, in the post-pandemic context. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study including 1219 students from five schools (September–December 2022) was conducted. ED risk was screened using the SCOFF questionnaire (≥2), and family functioning was assessed with the Family APGAR (functional, mild, moderate, or severe dysfunction). Additional sociodemographic, behavioral, and mental health variables were analyzed. Adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance clustered by school. Results: The ED risk in adolescents was 39.3% (95% CI: 36.5–42.1). Moderate family dysfunction was reported in 10.0% and severe dysfunction in 29.8% of participants. In the multivariable model, moderate family dysfunction was associated with higher ED risk (PR = 1.11). Other factors associated with higher risk included obesity (PR = 1.17), family history of mental illness (PR = 1.18), course failure (PR = 1.18), alcohol consumption ≥4 times per week (PR = 1.75), and having a family member hospitalized due to COVID-19 (PR = 1.14). Protective associations were found for male sex, frequent contact with friends, higher resilience, and living in peri-urban areas. Conclusions: Moderate family dysfunction was associated with an increased at ED risk in adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of school-based screening, family-centered interventions, and resilience promotion in adolescent mental health strategies. Given the cross-sectional design, causal relationships cannot be inferred. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Clinical Insights into Adolescent Behavioral Development and Mental Health)
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39 pages, 459 KB  
Article
Emotion Dysregulation as a Core Feature of Borderline Personality Disorder: Associations with Impulsivity and Symptom Severity in Emerging Adulthood
by Anaïs Mungo, Marie Delhaye and Matthieu Hein
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(3), 1047; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15031047 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1857
Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to explore the relationship between emotion dysregulation (ED), impulsivity, and symptom severity in emerging adults (16–25 years) diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Specifically, it sought to determine which ED dimensions differentiate BPD from non-clinical, independently of anxiety and [...] Read more.
Objectives: This study aimed to explore the relationship between emotion dysregulation (ED), impulsivity, and symptom severity in emerging adults (16–25 years) diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Specifically, it sought to determine which ED dimensions differentiate BPD from non-clinical, independently of anxiety and depression, and how these relate to clinical features of BPD. Methods: A total of 184 participants (BPD = 44, non-clinical group = 140) completed standardized assessments, including the DERS (ED), UPPS-P (impulsivity), DIB-R (BPD), BDI-II (depression), and STAI-T (trait anxiety). Analyses included Mann–Whitney tests, quantile and logistic regressions, and Spearman correlations, adjusting for clinical covariates. Results: BPD participants scored significantly higher on all DERS subscales (p < 0.001). Adjusted regressions identified Impulse, Awareness, and Clarity as key discriminators (ORs: 5.91, 3.56, 2.90), and a total DERS score >129 increased BPD likelihood twelvefold. ED dimensions were associated with DIB-R symptom severity, especially Impulse and Strategies. Only Clarity showed a negative correlation with suicide attempts, suggesting greater emotional confusion was linked to fewer reported attempts. ED also correlated with urgency traits on the UPPS-P. Conclusions: ED—particularly emotional impulsivity, poor awareness, and low clarity—emerges as a core marker of BPD in emerging adulthood. These findings underscore the importance of early intervention strategies targeting emotional identification, modulation, and impulsivity control to mitigate clinical severity and long-term risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Clinical Insights into Adolescent Behavioral Development and Mental Health)

Review

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38 pages, 6317 KB  
Review
Parental Mental Health and Suicidal Behavior as Predictors of Adolescent Suicidal Ideation and Attempts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Elena Alexandra Bratu, Lavinia-Alexandra Moroianu, Oana-Maria Isailă, Cătălin Pleșea-Condratovici, Oana-Elisabeta Avram and Eduard Drima
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(19), 6860; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14196860 - 28 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3832
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The intergenerational transmission of suicidal risk is a major global health concern. Evidence on the role of parental psychopathology, including suicidal behavior, in predicting adolescent suicidality remains inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize recent findings and quantify these [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The intergenerational transmission of suicidal risk is a major global health concern. Evidence on the role of parental psychopathology, including suicidal behavior, in predicting adolescent suicidality remains inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize recent findings and quantify these associations. Methods: The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the Population, Intervention/Exposure, Comparator, Outcome (PICO) framework. Searches (2015–2025) identified observational studies on parental suicidal behavior, depression, or psychiatric disorders predicting adolescent suicidal ideation or attempts. Thirty-one studies met eligibility, including over 12 million adolescents. Random-effects meta-analyses estimated pooled associations. Study quality was rated with the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS), and evidence certainty with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Results: Both parental suicidal behavior and psychiatric disorders were consistently linked to increased adolescent suicidality. The pooled odds ratio (OR) for any parental psychopathology was 2.77 (95% confidence interval, CI: 2.22–3.47), indicating nearly a threefold higher risk of suicidal ideation or attempts in exposed youth. Subgroup analyses showed comparable risks for parental suicidal behavior (OR = 2.69, 95% CI: 2.30–3.14) and parental psychiatric morbidity (OR = 2.72, 95% CI: 2.05–3.60). Conclusions: Parental psychopathology, whether manifesting as suicidal behavior or psychiatric disorder, is a strong and universal risk factor for adolescent suicidal ideation and attempts. These findings underscore the need for family-centered prevention, early identification, and targeted interventions to disrupt intergenerational transmission of suicide risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Clinical Insights into Adolescent Behavioral Development and Mental Health)
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