Why is the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry important for the field?
AJO has a long history of pushing the field to improve research, policy, and practice related to behavioral health and social justice. The founders of AJO combined the prefix ortho- (from the Greek, “to straighten”) with psychiatry to convey their belief that thinking in the field of psychiatry needed to change by considering the impact effect of societal problems on the well-being of individuals. To that end, much of what is published in AJO illuminates the effects of social determinants of health (e.g., racism, homophobia, violence, poverty, oppression, underserved and understudied populations) on the behavioral health of individuals. As the journal and its parent organization, the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice, have evolved, they have continued to prioritize the needs, rights, and voices of those who have been marginalized, disenfranchised, and disempowered.
What are the key questions in the areas of behavioral health and social justice that are waiting to be answered and addressed?
How do we create and foster auspicious circumstances for the promotion of mental health and well-being? How do we alter prevailing norms to create a culture of inclusivity?
Describe the journal’s target audience. What are your plans for growing readership from these groups?
Articles published in AJO address diverse social phenomena (e.g., bullying, child maltreatment, children’s rights, community development, criminal and juvenile justice policy, cultural change, cultural diversity, armed conflict, discrimination, educational achievement, family formation, family violence, freedom from restraints, health and healthcare disparities, housing, human rights, international migration, out-of-home care, recovery from natural disasters, school reform, self-injury, substance abuse, terrorism, trauma). Often these issues are discussed in the context of a specific population with a history of disadvantage within society. Although the scope of topics covered in the journal is broad, the focus on behavioral health policy and social justice does narrow our target audience, which exists within a variety of disciplines and includes practitioners, researchers, educators and advocates (not that these categories are mutually exclusive). To reach these individuals, we have added special features to the journal (Social Innovations, commentaries, special sections) and worked with our parent organization and APA to market the journal and specific articles via social media and email blasts.
What advice do you have for prospective authors interested in publishing interdisciplinary research (including research that intersects the fields of social work, public administration, and public health) in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry?
Too often, we receive studies that do not have clear implications for behavioral health policy and social justice. The discussion section of a successful article should articulate the impact of the findings on these two areas.
AJO also includes Social Innovations, a feature in magazine format. What is the purpose of this feature? What do you look for in a Social Innovations article?
Social Innovations is intended to promote conversation about strategies for establishing new social settings and changing social norms to create more auspicious circumstances for mental health promotion. In general, Social Innovations articles are shorter than typical academic article and are written in a magazine style (pointed, tightly argued, and crisply written to improve accessibility to practitioners and academics from a variety of disciplines). Social Innovations provides a venue for sharing concepts and programs that are cutting edge and that have clear implications for social justice and behavioral health policy.
What do you look for in a manuscript?
Our standards for scientific rigor and efficient, effective communication are comparable to APA journals in general. Beyond that, we look for topics related to the issues of behavioral health and social justice.
What problems do you see as important for the field to address more broadly, such as replicability, publishing concerns, communicating science to the public, translating psychological findings to policy change?
The past several years, science has been under attack. Part of the problem has been the failure of scientists to convey their research in an accessible manner to the public at large and to policymakers in particular. We have appreciated APA’s efforts to bridge the divide through initiatives such as adding public policy relevance statements, recording podcasts with authors, and sharing important findings through social media. Similarly, the Global Alliance has been sharing important findings from studies published in AJO through email blasts, newsletters, and the organization’s website.
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Jill D. McLeigh, PhD is the director of Research, Policy, and Advocacy at Children’s Health.
William Spaulding, PhD is a professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln.