Evidence is increasing that the Covid-19 pandemic has deleterious effects on the mental health of populations worldwide. The nature, duration, and longitudinal trajectory of such effects, however, remain largely uncharacterized. Moreover, despite the variety of published research on COVID-19 and mental health, there is still a critical lack of data from lesser-resourced countries.

Given the global nature of the pandemic, we welcome data from all countries, as well as data on cross-country and cross-cultural variations and similarities. We are interested in research on immediate and mid-term effects and trajectories. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, and reviews are welcome.

Studies for this call shall elucidate how contextual factors are associated with increased risk of mental conditions incidence, prevalence and trajectories. Such factors include, but are not limited to, variation in socioeconomic, sociocultural, health policy, and health system factors (e.g. Health Development Index, health care capacity, and public health measures such as social distancing and lockdowns) as well as incidence and trends in COVID-19. We also welcome research focused on specific populations, within and across countries, including a) highly exposed groups to getting infected by SARS-CoV-2 (e.g., health care staff and other frontline workers), and b) groups who have increased COVID-19 related mortality and comorbidity rates (e.g., individuals with mental disorders, the elderly). Manuscripts on interventions to mitigate mental health effects are also welcome. Finally, we look forward to receive publications addressing methodological challenges when conducting research on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Call is open for continuous submission from 15 April 2021 until 31 December 2021
The call is open for submission of Original Articles, Systematic Reviews and other Review formats based on comprehensive systematic literature search. Please submit the full article.

International Journal of Public Health is a journal of the Swiss School of Public Health

Issue Editors: Jutta Lindert, Ezra Susser, Franco Mascayano, Gonzalo Martinez-Ales

Please submit online.

No abstract submission is required, authors should only submit their full manuscript.

Call details

All IJPH author’s guidelines and double-blind peer-review rules apply. Manuscripts must fully comply with IJPH rules for the article type, length and format (please consult the IJPH instructions for authors). Accepted articles will be published open access. IJPH Article Processing Charges (APC) apply.

Contact: Christopher Woodrow, Managing Editor PHR, christopher.woodrow@swisstph.ch

We look forward to your submission!

Keywords: COVID-19, Mental Health, Public Health Measures, social distancing, lockdown