Psychosocial Effects of the Polycrisis Among Youth

Dear Colleagues,

Overview and Rationale

In recent years, the world has witnessed a succession of overlapping crises—including the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the escalation of conflict in Palestine. These global disruptions have profoundly affected societies across Europe and beyond, creating a state of prolonged uncertainty, instability, and collective anxiety often described as a polycrisis.

Emerging data indicate a marked increase in mental health problems among adolescents and young adults in many countries. The simultaneous exposure to health, social, economic, and geopolitical stressors has intensified feelings of insecurity, isolation, and hopelessness about the future. Young people, who are at a formative stage of psychological and social development, appear particularly vulnerable to the cumulative effects of these crises.

Given the transnational nature of these challenges, it is essential that they be examined through collaborative, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural research. Understanding how different cultural contexts, social structures, and policy environments shape young people’s coping strategies and resilience will provide valuable insights for designing effective prevention and support measures.

Aims and Scope

This Special Issue aims to explore the psychosocial consequences of the ongoing global polycrisis among youth, focusing on both short- and long-term effects on mental health, social relations, and identity formation. We welcome contributions that address—but are not limited to—the following themes:

• Psychological and emotional impacts of overlapping crises on adolescents and young adults.
• Mechanisms of coping, adaptation, and resilience in diverse cultural and social contexts.
• Family, peer, and community support as protective factors against distress.
• The role of digital and media environments in shaping youth perceptions of crisis.
• Comparative and cross-national analyses of youth mental health during periods of global instability.
• Policy implications for education, social inclusion, and mental health services.

We particularly encourage interdisciplinary and comparative studies that integrate perspectives from psychology, sociology, education, public health, and political science. Both empirical research and theoretical or review papers are welcome.

Expected Impact

This research topic seeks to contribute to the international understanding of how global crises influence young people’s mental health and psychosocial well-being. By identifying risk and protective factors, the collected papers aim to support the development of evidence-based prevention strategies and youth-focused public policies that enhance resilience in times of global uncertainty.

The Special Issue will serve as a platform for collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers committed to promoting youth mental health and social cohesion across regions.

Prof. Dr. Piotr Długosz
Dr. Karolina Eszter Kovács
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. Youth is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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.

• youth mental health
• psychosocial resilience
• coping mechanisms
• social isolation
• collective anxiety
• cross-cultural research
• community support
• mental health policy
• psychological wellbeing
• social determinants of health