Environmental Risks and Resilience in Adolescent Mental Health

Adolescence represents a critical developmental period characterized by heightened sensitivity to environmental influences. Research has increasingly shown that mental health outcomes during this stage are shaped by interactions among multiple ecological systems, including family relationships, peer networks, school environments, and neighborhood or urban contexts. At the same time, emerging exposures such as digital media environments, artificial intelligence interactions, environmental pollution, and climate-related stressors are becoming part of adolescents’ everyday experiences.While many environmental factors can increase psychological vulnerability, others can serve as protective resources. Supportive parenting, positive school climates, social connectedness, access to community resources, and exposure to natural environments may promote resilience and psychological well-being. Understanding the interplay between environmental risks and protective factors is therefore essential for advancing research and informing effective interventions.Adolescent mental health has become a growing global concern, with increasing prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress-related disorders, and behavioral problems. These challenges are shaped not only by individual characteristics but also by complex environmental influences that emerge across family, peer, school, community, and broader societal systems. In recent years, adolescents have also been increasingly exposed to new environmental contexts, including digital and AI-mediated environments, urbanization processes, environmental pollution, and climate-related risks.The goal of this Research Topic is to advance a systematic understanding of how multidimensional environmental risks and resilience factors interact to shape adolescent mental health outcomes. By integrating perspectives from psychology, psychiatry, developmental science, and environmental and urban health research, this Research Topic aims to identify key environmental determinants, clarify underlying mechanisms, and explore practical pathways for prevention, early identification, and resilience promotion in adolescent populations.This Research Topic welcomes empirical studies, review articles, and methodological contributions that examine adolescent mental health within a multidimensional environmental risk–resilience framework. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:Environmental determinants of adolescent mental health, including adverse childhood experiences, family dynamics, peer relationships, school environments, and community contextsUrban and environmental factors such as neighborhood characteristics, green space exposure, housing conditions, and environmental pollutionDigital and AI-mediated environments, including social media use, algorithmic exposure, and online social interactionsClimate-related stressors and their psychological impacts on adolescentsMechanisms of interaction among multiple environmental risks, including cumulative, multilevel, and network effectsProtective factors and resilience processes within family, school, community, and social systemsPrevention and intervention strategies that promote adolescent mental healthMethodological approaches for studying complex environmental influences, including machine learning, network analysis, structural equation modeling, and mixed-methods designsSubmissions that integrate interdisciplinary perspectives across psychology, psychiatry, developmental science, and environmental or urban health research are particularly encouraged. Topic editors: Zheng Zhang, Jiansong Zhou, Chun Yin, Jiahui Yin, Lei Ren Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79363/environmental-risks-and-resilience-in-adolescent-mental-health