The Importance of the Body-Mind Relationship in Mental Functioning and Development of Body-Focused Disorders in Adolescence Volume II

This collection is Volume II of the Research Topic The Importance of the Body-Mind Relationship in Mental Functioning and Development of Body-Focused Disorders in Adolescence. Adolescence is a critical period when the conflict between the body and mind becomes particularly pronounced due to the physical changes associated with puberty. These pubescent transformations can affect body image and the perception of self, necessitating a renegotiation of the relationship between body and mind. Failure to navigate this process successfully can lead to dissociation from the sexual body, resulting in feelings of alienation, hatred, disinvestment, and even self-destructive behaviors such as eating disorders, self-injury, and suicide.

As shown in the first volume of the Research Topic, a comprehensive understanding of the importance of the body in mental functioning and body-focused disorders (i.e., eating disorders, non-suicidal self-injury) is of both theoretical and applied significance. In light of these considerations, the previous collection recognized the importance of such body representation in the development of psychopathology, shedding new light on the complex network of factors involved in the relationship and its impact on well-being and social and work functioning. Furthermore, body-focused disorders, such as eating disorders and non-suicidal self-injury, would result from an impaired body-mind linkage, echoing the importance of the emotion regulation processes, and highlighting the importance of further research in the field.

Considering these points, and based on the previous collection, this Volume II Research Topic aims to update the latest developments on the neurobiological, psychological, and social-environmental risk factors for body-focused disorders and the diagnostic tools and different, innovative treatment approaches. This collection also aims to explore the impact and use of technology in this cohort that may adversely impact emotional, cognitive, and social functioning, increasing the risk for adolescent mental health problems and adverse developmental outcomes. This Research Topic welcomes scholars from different perspectives to provide their points of view concerning the problematic context of adolescent development and future directions in the field. Authors are invited to contribute by submitting clinical trials, original research, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and brief reports. In addition, studies addressing adolescents from underserved subgroups are encouraged. Topics may include but are not limited to the following areas:

• Identity, body image, and body-related symptoms in adolescence;

• Cross-cultural perspectives on the relationships between body image and mental health in adolescents;

• Impact of technology on development during adolescence (i.e. identity formation process and the exploration of body representation and its detachment in virtual space);

• New and innovative technologies that can support the development and symbolic thinking in adolescents;

• Defensive use of technology by vulnerable adolescents to escape the troubled relationship with the reality of the changing body;

• The use of virtual reality technology in the treatment of body-focused disorders (i.e., eating disorders, non-suicidal self-injury);

• Early intervention and prevention in youth mental health;

• Body-mind dissociation/integration;

• Body-focused disorders (i.e., eating disorders, non-suicidal self-injury);

• Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adolescence;

• Adolescent tattoos, body piercings, and other body modifications;

• Emotion regulation strategies in adolescents;

• Prevention and early intervention in youth mental health;

• Cross-cultural perspectives on body image and related concerns.