About this Research Topic

Background

Families living with parental mental and/or substance use disorders face considerable biopsychosocial challenges, with complex pathways to mitigating risk, enhancing resilience, and supporting recovery. An ecological, life-span approach to improving outcomes for all family members – children, adolescents and adult themselves who are parents – requires careful consideration of sociocultural conditions, life stage and developmental age, and family-centered needs, goals, and plans. In addition, the community context, policy developments, and practice innovation play roles in contributing to the wellbeing and functioning of family members. The risk conveyed to all family members by parental mental and/or substance use disorders is great. Fortunately, the opportunities to intervene are plentiful and varied. However, in many cases, interventions are unspecified, untested and not brought to scale in regional, state or national initiatives. We may have the requisite knowledge to inform policy and practice, but this evidence may not be applied to effect innovation or change, suggesting the need for wide-spread knowledge translation and dissemination efforts, with significant potential to improve public mental health.

Our goal is to bring attention to and address gaps in the research literature. Some aspects of the identification, treatment and prevention of disorders for family members have been well-articulated in some countries. The issues of children and adolescents whose parents live with mental and/or substance use disorders have been the focus of international efforts to explore their experiences, bring attention to gaps in services and, to some extent, develop practice guidelines and test interventions. The area of perinatal maternal mental health has received a great deal of attention, though research and treatment strategies have not necessarily been patient-centered (i.e., informed by input from stakeholders, including mothers themselves). More recently, efforts have been made to explore the impact of children and adolescents (i.e., family experiences) on adults who are parents, and the ways in which success or failure as a parent may contribute to or undermine a parent’s treatment and recovery.

In this Research Topic, we aim to curate the latest knowledge in (a) intervention development, implementation and testing for all family members (i.e., children, adolescents and adults themselves) living with or who are parents experiencing mental and/or substance use disorders; (b) policy issues relevant to these families, along with testable and tested change strategies; and (c) innovative knowledge translation and dissemination approaches to improving outcomes for vulnerable family members of all ages. We hope to include articles on novel, technology-based solutions with strong conceptual underpinnings, appropriate to rigorous scientific testing. We are looking for contributions at all levels of analysis (e.g., policy and practice, community and individual), suggesting that submissions will reflect the creative, rigorous use of multiple and mixed methods. Our intention is to lay the groundwork for future innovation, to contribute to building the evidence base of effective interventions for family members who are living with or who are parents with mental and/or substance use disorders.

Keywords: Parents, Children, Mental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Families

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.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Research Topic?

  Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

  Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

• Why does Frontiers publish Research Topics? 

  The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

  Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

• Why are Research Topics important for journals?

  As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

  A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

• How do we ensure the quality of articles within Research Topics?

  Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and they fall under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

• What are the benefits of publishing my article in a Research Topic?

  Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

  As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

  Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

   
• What types of articles can be published in a Research Topic?

  Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

  Check available article types here 

• Can I suggest a new Research Topic? 

  Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

  Suggest your topic here 

• Who leads a Research Topic? 

  A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

  The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

• What is the role of a topic editor?

  As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

   

  You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

• What support will I receive when editing a new Research Topic? 

  As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

• As a junior researcher, can I be involved in editing a Research Topic? 

  If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

• Can I get a certificate for editing a Research Topic?

  Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

• Who will I collaborate with?

  Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

• How long does it take to publish a Research Topic?

  As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

  Find out more about our Research Topics

• What fee support is available to authors publishing in a Research Topic?

  Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

  Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

• Will there be a printed version of my RT?

  In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.