Nursing Chair Co-Edits Journal Issue Focused on Social Determinants of Health and Mental Health
February 21, 2021 – The new issue of the Archives of Psychiatric Nursing focuses entirely on the social determinants of health and mental health.
Dr. Edilma L. Yearwood, chair and associate professor of the Department of Professional Nursing Practice at the School of Nursing & Health Studies, and Dr. Vicki P. Hines-Martin, associate dean and professor at the University of Louisville School of Nursing, co-edited the journal, which appeared this month.
(Visit the special edition on the web.)
“This special issue of Archives of Psychiatric Nursing focuses on the intersection and impact of social determinants of health (SDoH) and the mental health of individuals and groups,” they write in the journal’s editorial. “As editors of this issue, we hope to have readers gain a full and current understanding of the broad range of factors that affect health and mental health outcomes and quality of life.”
Research and Action
Yearwood and Hines highlight that nine of the journal’s articles are research-oriented, helping elucidate “how a variety of SDoH factors impact mental health and well-being within the context of where and how people are born, grow, live, work and age. . . . These research-based articles illustrate the work that has been undertaken to explore and better understand how SDoH impact the experiences and mental health of individuals and populations.”
In addition to the research articles, the journal includes shorter papers – in the broad categories of environmental factors, resources, and social justice – that illuminate action steps in advocacy and clinical work, the creation and development of policies and resources, and educational activity, they write.
“[The article authors] clearly identify the mental health implications for the populations that are affected and strategies through which mental health nurses (and other health care providers) can collaborate with these populations to support resilience and mental well-being,” Yearwood and Hines add.
‘Increased Emphasis’
The two mental health scholars – who together co-edited the 2016 text Routledge Handbook of Global Mental Health Nursing Evidence, Practice and Empowerment – hope the special journal elevates a focus on promoting mental health and well-being
“This special issue aims to broaden the reader’s perspectives as it relates to SDoH factors that affect individuals across the life span and highlight the need for increased emphasis on mental health promotion and disease prevention in a variety of circumstances,” they write.
About the Journal
The journal, which is edited by Georgetown BSN alumna Dr. Joyce Fitzpatrick (BSN 1966, Honorary 1990), is a publication of the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN). Yearwood is an associate editor of the journal, and she and Hines-Martin are both past ISPN presidents.
By Bill Cessato