Call for Papers – Special Issue: Psychological Trauma and Resilience in Children and Adolescents

Deadline Submissões / Deadline for submissions: 15 março 2026

Trauma and resilience in children can be investigated through multiple avenues in both research and clinical practice. The etiology of trauma significantly influences approaches. One increasingly prevalent cause is forced migration, encompassing immigration, asylum seeking, and refugee displacement. Children and young adolescents from these backgrounds face a heightened risk of traumatic experiences and are more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This topic remains largely unexplored in both scientific research and among healthcare providers. The asylum-seeking population is not systematically assessed for trauma (neither for motivation nor attitudes toward host country in regard to culture, social norms, language, and native peers, nor in workplaces and schools in the receiving countries) related to either the asylum process or pre-migration experiences upon entering host countries. Thus, the increasing need to host refugees and asylum seekers from diverse origins presents urgent challenges that remain unaddressed in their destination countries, particularly in the area of the assessment of PTSD and regarding a motivated and well-driven inclusion strategy. As global displacement continues to rise, destination countries are confronted with urgent and complex challenges, particularly regarding the assessment of PTSD and the development of inclusive, evidence-based integration policies.

This Special Issue invites empirical and theoretical contributions, including comprehensive literature reviews and meta-analyses, that advance the understanding of diagnostic methods and assessments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents. Submissions should focus on the tools, protocols, and criteria employed in PTSD diagnosis within pediatric populations. Relevant topics may include the current landscape of diagnostic practices, the influence of inclusion policies on children’s social integration and acculturation, and family perceptions of trauma and subsequent care pathways. This is not limited to trauma and resilience (in children) originating from forced mobility. With a multidisciplinary approach that draws input from the psychological, social work, public health, and education field, this Special Issue encourages submissions from less heard voices, for example, in terms of geography, minority status, or service users’ perspectives.

Informations and submissions here