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Call for papers - Cross-national Positive Youth Development research and intervention evidence for mental health promotion in diverse adolescents and youth from secondary and higher education

Guest Editors

Diego Gomez-Baya, PhD, University of Huelva, Spain
Marina Hirnstein, PhD, University of Bergen, Norway
Ana Kozina, PhD, Educational Research Institute, Slovenia
Nora Wiium, PhD, University of Bergen, Norway

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 11 December 2024

BMC Psychology invites submissions for a new Collection titled Cross-national Positive Youth Development research and intervention evidence for mental health promotion in diverse adolescents and youth from secondary and higher education. 

This Collection seeks novel research and interventions that explore the intersection of Positive Youth Development (PYD), mental health promotion, and education across diverse cultural contexts.


New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Wellbeing and SDG 4: Quality Education.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Diego Gomez-Baya, PhD, University of Huelva, Spain

Dr Diego Gomez-Baya is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social, Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Huelva, where he also serves as the Director of the Interuniversity Masters Degree in Educational Psychology and Secretary of the SDEP Department.

Dr Gomez-Baya's research interests are in the promotion of psychological wellbeing and healthy lifestyles in adolescence and youth, and the study of gender differences in risk and protective factors during the transition to adulthood. Furthermore, he serves as the President of the Advisory Council for Childhood and Adolescence of the Government of Andalusia. He also serves as an Editorial Board Member for BMC Psychology.

Marina Hirnstein, PhD, University of Bergen, Norway

Dr Marina Hirnstein is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychosocial Science at the University of Bergen, where she is responsible for the module Motivation Psychology, and teaches educational, developmental, and cognitive psychology. She is leading the Faculty’s Committee for Academic Integrity and the Learning Design Group.

Over the last two decades, Dr Hirnstein has been working on international interdisciplinary research projects in education in Norway, the USA, Great Britain, and Croatia. Her research spans from school, educational, developmental to cognitive psychology, particularly positive youth development, mental health, cognitive training, motivational processes involved in learning and performance, educational interventions, technology enhanced learning, and mathematical problem solving.

Ana Kozina, PhD, Educational Research Institute, Slovenia

Dr Ana Kozina is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Educational Research Institute in Slovenia, where she also serves as a Senior Research Associate, heading the Centre for Evaluation Studies. In her leadership, she stresses the importance of every individual research field and individual competencies and integrating them in the common vision of educational research.

Dr Kozina is also guest lecturer at University of Maribor, an Editorial Board Member for the Center for Educational Policy Studies journal, Slovene representative in European Educational Research Association, and Slovene representative at the International Association of Educators.

Her research is focused on the field of developmental and educational psychology and put into a broader context of educational research. 

Nora Wiium, PhD, University of Bergen, Norway

Dr Nora Wiium is a Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Bergen. Her role primarily entails teaching and research on different topics in health and developmental psychology.

As the principal investigator for The Cross-National Project on Positive Youth Development, Dr Wiium has led and organized collaborations with research partners from over 40 countries around the globe. She has co-edited special issues on topics related to positive youth development and psychological wellbeing in several scientific journals. She is a co-editor of a Handbook on Positive Youth Development, published in 2021 by Springer.

About the Collection

BMC Psychology invites submissions for a new Collection titled Cross-national Positive Youth Development research and intervention evidence for mental health promotion in diverse adolescents and youth from secondary and higher education. 

This Collection seeks novel research and interventions that explore the intersection of Positive Youth Development (PYD), mental health promotion, and education across diverse cultural contexts.

Understanding and promoting PYD within educational settings is crucial for nurturing the wellbeing of youth, and emerging adults. Education serves as a cornerstone in shaping individuals' cognitive, emotional, and social development during their formative years. In the context of education, PYD research sheds light on effective strategies for fostering resilience, promoting mental health, and enhancing quality of life during the period of adolescence and young adulthood. By investigating the interplay between educational experiences and PYD outcomes, researchers can identify key factors that contribute to positive development, inform evidence-based interventions, and ultimately support students in realizing their full potential academically, personally, and socially.

We welcome contributions that examine PYD framework, interventions, and outcomes in youth and emerging adults from secondary and higher education settings across different nations and diverse student populations.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Examination of cultural factors influencing PYD and mental health outcomes in diverse youth populations.
  • Evaluation of PYD interventions targeting specific mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, stress, and resilience.
  •  Exploration of the role of educational settings (secondary and higher education) in promoting PYD and mental well-being.
  • Cross-national comparisons of PYD programs and their effectiveness in diverse contexts.
  • Identification of protective and risk factors contributing to PYD and mental health outcomes.
  • Development and validation of assessment tools to measure PYD constructs and mental health indicators across cultures.
  • Integration of technology-based interventions and digital platforms for PYD and mental health promotion.
  • Examination of the long-term impact of PYD interventions on individuals' well-being and societal outcomes.


This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Wellbeing and SDG 4: Quality Education.


Image credit: JenkoAtaman / stock.adobe.com

  1. Adolescence is a strategic developmental stage in terms of preventing later difficulties and ensuring good mental health. Prophylactic interventions, which are conducted before the onset, prolongation, or wors...

    Authors: Eugénie Vaillant-Coindard, Gaëtan Briet, Florence Lespiau, Béatrice Gisclard and Elodie Charbonnier
    Citation: BMC Psychology 2024 12:204

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Cross-national Positive Youth Development research and intervention evidence for mental health promotion in diverse adolescents and youth from secondary and higher education" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.