Psychosocial Health and Well-Being in Aging Societies: Social Determinants, Health Disparities, and Community-Based Solutions

Dear Colleagues,

Special Issue Focus: Population aging is reshaping social structures and institutions across societies worldwide. As life expectancy increases, questions surrounding the social conditions that shape the well-being of older adults have become increasingly important. Older adults often experience challenges such as loneliness, social isolation, changing family structures, unequal access to community resources, and social marginalization. These experiences are strongly influenced by broader social determinants, including socioeconomic inequality, community environments, demographic change, cultural norms, and institutional arrangements. Understanding aging as a social phenomenon embedded within social relationships, community contexts, and structural inequalities has therefore become a critical area of sociological inquiry.

Scope: This Special Issue invites interdisciplinary research examining how social structures, community contexts, and institutional systems shape psychosocial health and well-being in later life. Consistent with the aims and scope of Societies, which emphasizes the social, cultural, economic, and institutional dynamics influencing contemporary societies, this Issue focuses on aging as a socially embedded process influenced by structural disparities, social relationships, and community resources. Submissions may include empirical studies, conceptual papers, and systematic reviews addressing topics such as social isolation and loneliness, social networks and community engagement, social inequalities in aging, caregiving and changing family dynamics, digital inclusion and social participation, and community-based initiatives that influence psychosocial health and well-being among older adults across diverse cultural and global contexts.

Purpose: The purpose of this Special Issue is to advance sociological and interdisciplinary dialogue on aging by examining how social structures, institutions, and community environments influence psychosocial health and well-being in later life. This issue emphasizes the role of social relationships, social inequalities, and institutional contexts in shaping the everyday experiences of aging populations. By bringing together research from sociology, social work, gerontology, public policy, and related disciplines, the Special Issue seeks to highlight how societal factors, including demographic change, social networks, community participation, and social policies, affect quality of life among older adults. The goal is to deepen understanding of aging within broader social systems and to inform socially grounded strategies that promote inclusion, resilience, and well-being in aging societies.

Contribution to and Relationship with Existing Literature: A growing body of research has examined aging-related challenges such as loneliness, mental health, caregiving, and social participation. However, much of the existing literature focuses primarily on individual-level outcomes or single disciplinary perspectives, often overlooking the broader social structures and environments that shape psychosocial well-being in later life. In response to rapid population aging and emerging societal challenges, including digital transformation, health disparities, and global crises, this Special Issue seeks to extend existing scholarship by integrating perspectives on social determinants, structural inequalities, and community-based interventions that influence aging well-being. In line with the interdisciplinary mission of Societies, the issue encourages research that connects individual experiences of aging with broader social systems frameworks. By highlighting cross-national perspectives, innovative interventions, and community-driven solutions, this Special Issue aims to advance a more comprehensive understanding of psychosocial health in aging societies and inform research, practice, and policy that support inclusive and supportive environments for older adults.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and advancing interdisciplinary dialogue on psychosocial health and well-being in aging societies.

Contributions have to follow one of the three categories of papers (article, conceptual paper, or review) of the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.

Dr. Jung Sim Jun
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 conceptual papers 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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies 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 1600 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.

• aging
• psychosocial health
• well-being
• loneliness
• social support
• resilience
• mental health
• older adults
• aging policy
• healthy aging