Social Isolation and Socio-Emotional Competencies: Implications for Individual Adaptation and Mental Health
Dr. Clarissa Cricenti
Dr. Benedetta Barchielli
Dr. Giulia Lausi
Special Issue Information
Dear colleagues,
Loneliness and social isolation have emerged as critical issues affecting individuals' well-being in contemporary society. These issues can range from experiencing social exclusion or marginalization to exposure to environments known as "ICE" (isolated, confining and extreme). Research in this field has been primarily promoted by organizations such as NASA and ESA, in order to identify the psychological, social and environmental factors that promote individual adaptation and mitigate the negative effects in space missions analogous conditions.
Socio-emotional skills (e.g. emotional intelligence, empathy, relationship management) have been extensively studied and have emerged as important protective factors, as they enable individuals to manage social interactions, cope with difficult emotions and adaptively guide cognitive processes (e.g. decision-making, memory). However, further research is needed to explore these skills in the context of isolation, where the fundamental human need for social connectedness is not adequately fulfilled.
The Special Issue titled "Social Isolation and Socio-Emotional Competencies: Implications for Individual Adaptation and Mental Health" aims to present the latest research on the emotional and social competencies, adaptation, well-being, mental health, social isolation and loneliness. Its purpose is to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this area and to identify important factors for the implementation of evidence-based interventions.
Review and original research articles are welcome. Topics of interests include, but are not limited to:
1. The impact of social isolation, social exclusion, and loneliness on mental health;
2. Factors influencing individual’s adaptation;
3. The role of socio-emotional competencies in managing social interactions;
4. The relationship between socio-emotional competencies and cognitive processes;
5. Intervention to mitigate the negative effects of social isolation, loneliness, and social exclusion;
6. Coping strategies for managing challenging emotions in these circumstances;
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Clarissa Cricenti
Dr. Benedetta Barchielli
Dr. Giulia Lausi
Guest Editors