Mental health disorders (such as depression and anxiety) are a leading cause of worldwide disability and ill health. A wide array of factors contribute to the aetiology of poor mental health, including genetic risk and environmental exposures. Exposure to extreme stress, and chronic stress, are key predictors of poor mental health, however there are individual differences in how people respond to stress in their environment. For example, some are resilient to mental health consequences under stressful conditions, whereas others are not. Additionally, there are some circumstances in which stress is perceived as beneficial, for example in high-performance environment. More work is required to fully understand the stress-mental health relationship, which is the focus of this special issue. 

We are interested in articles that address research questions in the broad field of stress and mental health, but particularly encourage submissions that address the following topics:

• Mechanisms linking perceptions of stress with poor mental health
• Exploration of individual differences in the stress-mental health relationship
• Considerations of resilience, its role in the relationship between stress and mental health, and how it may be promoted
• The link between stress and performance

This special issue of Psychreg Journal of Psychology will be published in December 2021.

We welcome research with humans and animals, empirical research studies of a qualitative and quantitative nature, and systematic literature reviews.  To submit your proposal, please contact: e.braithwaite@mmu.ac.uk 

PJP is an open-access publication. We don’t charge any fees. 

Please click here to see the submission guidelines.