Journal of Intergenerational Relationships
The Journal of Intergenerational Relationships (JIR) is planning a special issue on Social Isolation and Loneliness to be published in 2019, guest edited by Alan Hatton-Yeo and Alison Clyde. We are currently seeking submissions for this special issue and have extended the deadline to August 31, 2018. Please see attached flyer for details and feel free to share this call for papers with any interested parties.
The past decade has seen an increasing recognition of the growth of social isolation and loneliness within our Society and communities and the significant and detrimental impact it has on people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Research (Holt-Lunstad, 2015) has shown that the effect is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In addition it is an issue that is significant across the generations, with the Mental Health Foundation in the UK reporting that loneliness was a greater concern among 18-34 years olds than people over 55.
This special edition of the journal seeks to explore the role of intergenerational programmes in addressing social isolation and loneliness and developing a better understanding of programmes that emphasise building positive relationships that enable people to value themselves and the contribution they can make to others. In particular we are interested in programmes that contribute to building neighbourhoods for all ages that emphasise sustainable relationships and connection between the generations and identifying the factors that are most effective. We are also interested in innovative and pioneering work that is considering new thinking in this area of work.
We encourage papers that explore all aspects of intergenerational approaches to addressing social isolation and loneliness including any factors that contribute to the success of such approaches or may pose challenges. We seek papers that explore both conceptual and practical frameworks particularly that demonstrate how mutual benefit can be illustrated for both the young and old participants.