Editorial

Professor Pardo's first paper on mental health and social inclusion is a systematic review of 85 papers over the last 24 years.He has recorded an increasing number of papers on social exclusion, showing a sustained academic interest in this area.The International Journal of Social Psychiatry recorded seven papers on this theme, with Mental Health and Social Inclusion registering four.As this covers only peerreviewed papers, it is probably an under-estimate of the papers we publish, as it would exclude Viewpoint papers.Professor Pardo argues that discrimination, stigma and socioeconomic deprivation are all major obstacles to inclusion.In a second paper co-authored with Pedro Severino-Gonzalez, he looks at the issue of debt.Here they analyse 66 papers, the majority of which have been published between 2021 and 2024.The work examines a number of economic psychological theories, such as the Scar Hypothesis.This states that economic adversity may leave enduring psychological scars.The bottom line is that financial hardship adversely affects mental wellbeing.His third paper is co-authored with Javier Parra-Dominguez.This third systematic literature review examined the findings of 32 research studies looking at the links between financial security and health.Financial insecurity can exacerbate mental health conditions, and that poor mental health can impair financial decision-making.Financial stress can be both a cause and a consequence of psychological distress.This is an impressive set of three papers which we are pleased to publish.