International Journal of Behavioral Medicine - Call for Papers on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Acute and Chronic Illness
Special Issue Editors:
Allison Marziliano, PhD Northwell Health
Michael Diefenbach, PhD Northwell Health
Letter of Intent Deadline: January 31, 2023
Social ties can facilitate overall wellbeing, recovery from acute illness, and self-management of chronic conditions. The International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (IJBM) announces a special call for papers focused on social isolation and loneliness in the context of acute (e.g., injury, surgical recovery) or chronic (e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease, arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes) illness.
Behavioral Medicine research from all scientific areas and across the translational spectrum is welcome. In fact, research that bridges the intersections of behavioral medicine and other areas of research (e.g., neuroscience, medical practice, nursing, public health, education, health psychology, environmental science) are likely to make a strong contribution.
Areas of work might include:
• Empirical papers describing the application of existing theoretical frameworks to the context of social isolation or loneliness in different illnesses.
• Processes by which loneliness and social isolation lead to positive or negative impacts on health, wellbeing, illness, or recovery.
• Papers reporting the results of trials evaluating efficacy of interventions to mitigate the impact of social isolation or loneliness
• Research on social aspects of caring for a person with acute or chronic illness (i.e., family care partners, young adult care partners, medical professionals)
• Studies of the mechanisms, processes, and trajectories involved in loneliness and social isolation that inform intervention development.
• Investigations observing or harnessing social media to improve health outcomes or prevent illness.
• Manuscripts reporting on the basic individual, social, and biobehavioral processes by which loneliness and isolation have positive or negative impacts across the lifespan.
• Reports on cognitive, neuroendocrine, immune, or other biobehavioral concomitants of loneliness and social isolation.
IJBM accepts papers reporting on original empirical research including applied and clinical trial research, qualitative reports, experimental studies, and observational research; systematic reviews and meta-analytic studies; and brief reports. Submissions that integrate the existing science, present a strong conceptual grounding in behavioral medicine, or point the field to opportunities for future progress are desired.
Editorial Process:
Letters of Intent (LOIs) must include the following seven sections and be no longer than 1,000 words.
1. Description of the primary purpose of the manuscript, including a rationale for how the manuscript complements and extends prior and current work in this area, and how it will contribute to science, theory, policy or practice
2. Specific hypotheses or research questions, if applicable.
3. Research methods, including sample definition and selection procedures, research design, intervention design (if applicable), and key constructs.
4. Central findings that address the major research questions. If the study involves statistical analyses, statistical analysis techniques and primary statistical findings supporting the research questions must be presented in the text as well as a table.
5. A list of all authors, co-authors, and funding sources (as applicable).
6. Assurance that all data to be analyzed for this manuscript have been collected and analyzed at the time of this submission.
7. A statement declaring adherence to appropriate registries, guidelines, or standards for reporting (i.e., PRISMA, PROSPERO, etc.). Please declare pre-registration status.
Please send your LOI as a single pdf to the Special Issue editors at IJBmed@uci.edu. LOIs are due on January 31, 2023. LOIs will be evaluated by the Special Issue Editors in terms of the study’s significance and contribution to the field; methodological adequacy; and the overall comprehensibility and clarity of the writing. LOIs that pass the first stage of review will be invited for full manuscript submission and peer review no later than March 1, 2023. Final manuscripts will be due by June 1, 2023.
IJBM is the official scientific journal of the International Society for Behavioral Medicine (ISBM) and seeks to present the best theoretically-driven, evidence-based work in the field of behavioral medicine from around the globe. IJBM publishes excellent research across the broad spectrum of behavioral medicine, including health-behavior relationships, the prevention of illness and the promotion of health, the effects of illness on the self and others, the effectiveness of novel interventions, identification of biobehavioral mechanisms, and the influence of social factors on health.