Psychological Factors as Determinants of Medical Conditions, Volume IV

This Research Topic represents the fourth volume of the series Psychological Factors as Determinants of Medical Conditions, continuing a consolidated interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary line of research at the intersection of Psychopathology, Clinical Psychology, Medicine, and Health Sciences.
As life expectancy continues to increase worldwide, age-related and chronic medical conditions are becoming a major public health challenge. Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, endocrine and cardiovascular disorders, osteoporosis, and other long-term conditions, have a profound impact not only on physical health but also on patients’ perceived quality of life. In turn, this burden frequently intersects with psychopathological dimensions, which may emerge as both consequences and active determinants of disease trajectories.

A growing body of evidence shows that psychopathological factors, including anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, alexithymia, abnormal emotional or disgust processing, body image disturbances, and maladaptive coping styles, often co-occur with chronic medical conditions and may independently predict clinical outcomes, disease progression, treatment adherence, and even mortality. Importantly, psychological functioning deeply shapes health-related behaviours, influencing adherence to medical recommendations, lifestyle modification, and engagement with healthcare systems.

In this perspective, the traditional body-mind causal hierarchy is increasingly being reconsidered. Psychological and psychopathological processes are now recognised as playing a potentially primary role in the onset, maintenance, and exacerbation of chronic medical conditions. A rigorous assessment of psychic variables may therefore contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of individual vulnerability profiles, support early identification of patients at risk for adverse medical outcomes, and foster personalised diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies.

Building on the contributions of the previous volumes, this fourth edition aims to integrate interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to clarify how psychological, behavioural, and neurocognitive factors interact with somatic symptoms and medical outcomes, particularly in common age-related chronic diseases. We welcome empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions that bridge psychopathology, clinical psychology, psychiatry, medicine, neuroscience, rehabilitation, and public health.

We are interested in, but not limited to, the following topics:
Both empirical and theoretical contributions are welcome, including Original Research, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Opinion articles, Hypothesis and Theory papers, and General Commentaries.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must fall within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their respective mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to redirect out-of-scope manuscripts to a more appropriate section or journal at any stage of the peer-review process.