European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Global climate change has increased the rate and intensity of environmental hazards and disasters. Climate change can be considered in terms of acute and extreme weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes, sub-acute weather events that last months or years such as droughts, and permanently altered environments that can become uninhabitable^1-4. The mental health impacts on populations can be severe, cumulative and devastating. This special issue of EJPT is dedicated to bringing a trauma perspective to advancing our understanding of responding to, and recovering from, the impacts of climate change.

In this special issue, we invite submissions on the following topics:

• The changing nature of environmental hazard exposure and how it impacts post-traumatic mental health
• Building resilient individuals and communities
• Phenomenology of disaster mental health in short term and long term
• Post disaster adjustment difficulties and their impact on recovery
• Mental health impact of acute weather events, or sub-acute or permanently altered environments
• From drought to despair to displacement: Trauma cascades and climate change
• Trauma and wildfires
• Post disaster interventions and the impact they have.

¹Palinkas, L. A., O’Donnell, M. L., Lau, W., & Wong, M. (2020). Strategies for delivering mental health services in response to global climate change: a narrative review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8562.

² Olff M. (2019) Facts on psychotraumatology, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10, https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1578524

³ Olff M. (2017) 2016: A year of records, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8,  https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2017.1281533

⁴Dyregrov, A., Yule, W. & Olff M. (2018). Children and natural disasters, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 9, Sup2, https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2018.1500823

European Journal of Psychotraumatology (EJPT) and its guest editor invite original research papers (qualitative and quantitative), review articles, research articles, and clinical practice articles addressing climate change, disasters and traumatic stress.

All enquires about this call for papers should be directed to Prof. Meaghan O'Donnell, Prof. Lawrence Palinkas or Prof. Miranda Olff (Chief Editor).

Your submission will be dealt with immediately and if accepted published as soon as possible. A first round of reviews is expected one month after submission. When the call is closed all published papers for this special issue will be pulled together in an editorial on the topic.

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