Integrating New Evidence, Multidimensional Treatments, and Technologies in Mental Health to Improve Adherence to Interventions and the Generalization of Changes in Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being
A special issue of Psychiatry International (ISSN 2673-5318).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editors
Interests: alternative procedures for evaluating the robustness and statistical power of repeated-measures experimental designs when parametric assumptions are violated; analyzing Type I and Type II error rates, estimating sample size, examining the behavior of different information criteria, conducting analysis of covariance, and analyzing data loss mechanisms and patterns, psychometrics, and behavior therapy among other methods in behavioral sciences
Interests: neuropsychopharmacology of non-therapeutic psychotropics; medicinal chemistry of entactogens and psychedelics; neuroplasticity associated to cognitive functions and emotions; behavioral pharmacology; electrophysiology in vivo
Interests: in broad terms, the intersection between ethics and social sustainability encompasses definitions of ethics in work and organizational contexts, with a particular emphasis on professional ethics; value-based leadership, including its influence on teams, ethical organizational culture, and mental health at work; social sustainability, with specific attention to psychological well-being and the inclusion of persons with disabilities
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Various epidemiological studies indicate that 50% of adults diagnosed with a behavioral disorder experience it before the age of 15, while 75% experience it before the age of 24. To address these problems, the Comprehensive Multidimensional Model (Barlow et al., 2023) incorporates evidence from biological, psychological–emotional, genetic–environmental, social, and cultural dimensions. In this context, the triple vulnerability model, evidenced by neurotic temperament (diathesis or inherited vulnerability), stress (general psychological vulnerability), and psychological vulnerability, is highly relevant because it explains the emergence of a psychological condition (Barlow, 1998; 2011; Sauer-Zavala & Barlow, 2021). Furthermore, Sauer-Zavala and Barlow (2021) highlight that neuroticism is a causal and maintaining variable for anxiety, stress, depression, and various physical health problems (immune function, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and irritable bowel syndrome, among others). In this sense, the psychobiological dimensions of temperament (linked to the Big Five personality factors through individual differences in brain structures and functions, supported by EEG, PET, and fMRI) exhibit an isomorphic structure with personality factors (more than two-thirds of the variance is explained by genetic influences) and are associated with DSM-5 Axis I disorders (mood, anxiety, somatoform, and eating disorders), drug and alcohol abuse, and personality disorders [borderline, avoidant, dependent (to a moderate degree), schizotypal, paranoid, and antisocial (to a lesser degree)]. Furthermore, comorbidity rates of 20% to 45% are observed among internalizing disorders (major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias), and between 19% and 88% among both internalizing and externalizing disorders (substance dependence, personality disorders, and conduct disorders). Given this context, the aim of this Special Issue is to compile research based on multidimensional evidence (biological, behavioral, neuroimaging, neurophysiological, pharmacological, psychosomatic, gene–environment interaction, social, and cultural) that has proven effective (with standardized, well-validated treatments) and efficient (significantly maximizing behavioral changes) in addressing the variables that cause and maintain (comorbidity) various mental health problems.
A Multidimensional Integrative Approach brings together contributions from different dimensions with evidence on the common basis that causes and maintains behaviors. This model has made it possible to answer questions about new problems and to address the dissatisfaction with categorical diagnostic systems (APA, 2022; Barlow et al., 2023), high rates of comorbidity, and the danger of pathologizing and medicalizing behaviors (Olivares-Rodríguez & Olivares-Olivares, 2022) by extending its application to conditions such as post-traumatic stress (Hamlen & Mueser, 2021), obsessive–compulsive disorders (Fontanelle & Yücel, 2019), schizotypy (Chely & Lysaker, 2021), binge eating (Frank & Berner, 2020), eating disorders (Patel & Preddy, 2023), neuroticism, temperament, personality, and emotional disorders, and their relationship with triple vulnerability (Sauer-Zavala & Barlow, 2021), emotional regulation (Kring & Sloan, 2009), psychological assessment, and treatment of various disorders of behavior, in addition to couple distress, well-being (Antony and Barlow, 2020), a transdiagnostic approach to psychology for medicine and health (Ayers and de Visser, 2021), unified treatment protocols for emotional disorders in adults (Barlow et al., 2017), adolescents, and children (Ehrenreich-May et al., 2018), transdiagnostic group therapy (Morris et al., 2018) and executive functions (Hansen et al., 2018), among others.
American Psychiatic Association (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision Dsm-5-tr. Amer Psychiatric Pub Inc
Antony, M.M. & Barlow, D. (2020). Handbook of Assessment and Treatment Planning for Psychological Disorders. Guilford Press.
Ayers & de Visser (2021). Psychology for Medicine and Healthcare. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Barlow, D. H (1988): Anxiety and its disordes. The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic. Guilford Press.
Barlow, D. H (2011). Protocolo Unificado para el tratamiento transdiagnostico de los trastornos emocionales. Alianza editorial.
Barlow, D., Farchione, T., Sauer-Zavala, S., Latin, H.M., Ellard, K.K., Bullis, J.R., Bentley, K.H., Boettcher, H.T., & Cassielo-Robbins, C. (2017). Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Workbook (Treatments That Work). Oxford University Press.
Barlow, D., Durand, M., & Hofmann, S. (2023). Psychopathology: An Integrative Approach to Mental Disorders. Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc
Chely, S. & Lysaker, P.H. (2021). A Dimensional Approach to Schizotypy: Conceptualization and Treatment. Springer
Ehrenreich-May, J., Kennedy, S.M., Sherman, J.A., Bilek, E.L., Buzzela, B.A., Bennett, S.H., & Barlow, D. (2018). Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Therapist Guide (Programs That Work). Oxford University Press.
Fontanelle, L.F. & Yücel, M. (2019). A Transdiagnostic Approach to Obsessions, Compulsions and Related Phenomena. Cambridge University Press.
Frank & Berner (2021. Eds). Binge Eating. A Transdiagnostic Psychopathology. Springer.
Hamlen, J.L., & Mueser, K. T. (2021). Treatment for Postdisaster Distress: A Transdiagnostic Approach. American Psychological Association.
Hansen, L., Ellis, B.E., & Smith, S.E. (2023). A Transdiagnostic Approach to Develop Organization, Attention and Learning Skills: The GOALS Treatment Manual for College Students. Routledge.
Kring, A.M., & Sloan, D.M. (2009). Emotion Regulation and Psychopathology: A Transdiagnostic Approach to Etiology and Treatment. The Guilford Press
Olivares-Rodriguez, J., & Olivares-Olivares, P. (2022). Intervención psicológica transdiagnóstica. Tercera generación de tratamientos psicológicos. Pirámide.
Patel, V.B. & Preddy, V.R. (2023. Eds). Eating Disorders. Springer.
Sauer-Zavala, S. & Barlow, D. (2021). Neuroticism: A New Framework for Emotional Disorders and Their Treatment. The Guilford Press
Dr. Pablo Livacic-Rojas
Dr. Patricio Manuel Sáez-Briones
Dr. María José Rodrígez Araneda
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- evidence-based treatments
- technologies in mental health
- treatment adherence
- generalizability
- behavioral changes
- psychological well-being
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