Pandemic, War and Climate Changes: the Effect of These Crises on Individual and Social Well-being

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Background

From 2020 until today, a series of events and crises impact people around the world, putting their physical and psychological health at risk. Indeed, in the last three years, individuals have faced and are facing considerable stressors issues: starting from the Covid-19 pandemic, which began in March 2020, arriving at the invasion of Ukraine by Russia which took place in February 2022 (the most immediate, war for Europe of the many warlike conflicts existing simultaneously worldwide), and passing through climate change, which is becoming increasingly evident, problematic, globally worrying and of existential threat.
These crises, acting singly or even in an interrelated form, can have strong effects on people's life satisfaction and on their interpersonal relationships, negatively affecting their individual and social well-being. They can have a direct or indirect impact on relevant behaviour and health, via physical, biological, economic characteristics or social identification processes, action readiness and self-efficacy.

We propose an issue addressing the following research questions:
1. The analysis of the interaction of different global threats (Covid-19, climate crisis, war or other comprehensive stressors), life events and hassles.
2. In the context of complex theoretical and empirical models, oriented towards multiple levels of influence, direct and indirect interactions of predictors, mediators and moderators, and thus the overall influence on people's well-being (in a broader sense) and on their interpersonal relationships, if possible also on a longitudinal basis.
3. Studies on partial aspects of these relationships would also be useful. Against the background of predominantly missing findings so far, both dispositional parameters (e.g. based on personality theory, trust, coping potentials, etc.), persons in different stages of the life span, and research results dealing with different forms of well-being would be useful. Of particular contextual relevance are findings on the influence of these co-varying stressors on social systems.
4. Considerations, studies or projects on possible intervention approaches, that have helped or could help people to better face the current emergency moment, promoting their individual and social well-being, would be equally desirable.
The final aim is to detect and improve the best life strategies to organize our life and our environment.

The Research Topic will include contributions that evaluate any differences in the consequences of these events for the well-being of people, comparing different territorial areas or countries, or that evaluate the progress of the psychological well-being over time.

Topics of primary interest for this Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
• Effects of lockdown periods on people's psychological well-being, in the immediate and long term
• Effects of the perception of climate change on emotional life and overall well-being
• Effects of the perception of the war in Ukraine, along with other armed conflicts in other parts of the world,) on people's emotions and experiences, and on their ideas about future world prospects
• Cross-cultural research about these particular crises
• Prospective and longitudinal studies: Changes in levels of well-being over the years

Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, and Review and other article types accepted by Frontiers in Psychology are welcomed.

Keywords: Individual well-being, Social well-being, Covid-19, War, Climate Changes, Crisis

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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