Stress-induced Psychopathology: From Mechanisms to Interventions

The diathesis-stress model serves as a foundational framework in understanding how stress influences the onset of psychiatric disorders among susceptible individuals. This model highlights the critical role of various stressors, including trauma as defined by psychiatric classification systems such as the DSM and ICD, along with other life adversities like discrimination, bullying, and neglect. These stressors significantly elevate the risk for a wide range of mental disorders. Notably, traumatic stress is distinctly associated with conditions like post-traumatic stress and dissociative disorders. Although robust evidence acknowledges stress as a considerable risk factor across various psychopathologies, the precise mechanisms linking stress to mental health outcomes remain underexplored.

This Research Topic aims to deepen our understanding of how life and traumatic stressors contribute to mental health disorders and explore effective psychological interventions. There is a specific interest in uncovering how early traumatic experiences disrupt emotion regulation and create maladaptive schemas, affecting a range of psychopathologies from affective disorders to psychosis and trauma-related disorders. Contributions should explore both transdiagnostic and disorder-specific pathways that connect stress to mental health impairments. By mapping these pathways, the findings could influence the development and refinement of therapeutic interventions aimed at improving mental health in both clinical and non-clinical settings.

To gather further insights into the complexities of stress and mental health, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
-Neurological and social-cognitive mechanisms underlying the effects of life and traumatic stress;
-Longitudinal studies on the impact of stress on mental health across different populations;
-Intervention studies that address the psychopathological mechanisms triggered by stress;
-Meta-analytic studies delineating mechanisms linking stress to various mental health conditions;
-Development and validation of new assessment tools for stress in diverse clinical contexts

Accepted contributions include empirical studies, theoretical papers, and meta-analyses using diverse methodologies such as surveys, behavioral experiments, experience sampling methods, and neuroimaging. This Research Topic especially encourages submissions that address how interventions targeting stress-related mechanisms may enhance mental health outcomes.