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Open research questions in Health, psychology, and well-being

141 gap statements mined from Health, psychology, and well-being papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 917 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Health, psychology, and well-being? See the ranked Medicine journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • Prior work has established the correlation between physical exercise and emotional states, but the causal relationship between these variables is not well understood. The study aims to address this gap by investigating the mediating role of sense of coherence. The reciprocal relationship between physical exercise and positive emotional states is not well understood, and the study aims to explore this relationship.

    A longitudinal examination of the effect of physical exercise on the emotional states of college students: exploring the sense of coherence as a mediator through a cross-lagged panel analysis · 2024 · DOI

  • In many populations, a strong sense of coherence is linked to a higher quality of life, but this relation has not been studied among autistic individuals.

    Sense of Coherence and the Relation to Autistic Traits in Autistic Adults · 2026 · DOI

  • Sense of coherence is predictive of quality of life in several populations, but this relation has not been investigated among autistic individuals.

    Sense of Coherence and the Relation to Autistic Traits in Autistic Adults · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could build on this study in several ways. First, subsequent studies should include participants beyond faith-community recruitment channels, such as less active members, former members, or individuals whose experiences of faith-based support have been more ambivalent, disappointing, or conflictual.

    Coherence, Capability, and Care: Faith-Based Health Engagement and Well-Being in the Philippines · 2026 · DOI

  • Common challenges include internal alternative provision staff not being qualified teachers. Teachers may lack training in how to teach pupils with complex needs. Lack of consistency can occur when internal alternative provision pupils have more than one teacher per subject.

    What works in internal alternative provision? A salutogenic analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • There is little guidance about what good practice looks like in internal alternative provision. The paper identifies a gap in the knowledge about what works in internal alternative provision.

    What works in internal alternative provision? A salutogenic analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a scarcity of research analyzing empirical data through a theoretical lens. Less is known about how youth cope with a family member's substance use. The impact of substance use on youth is often invisible and perceived as a family secret.

    Youth Impacted by a Family Member’s Substance Use: A Qualitative Exploration of Life Course Experiences and Coping · 2026 · DOI

  • TSA showed that the significant finding of meta-analysis in salutogenic-based intervention was stable and reliable, while the pooled sample size on self-management intervention was insufficient.

    Non‐Pharmacological Interventions Targeting Sense of Coherence Among Older Adults and Adults With Chronic Conditions: A Meta‐Analysis With Trial Sequential Analysis · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a gap in approaches and perspectives between biomedical science and health promotion. The models of health developed in health promotion need to be adjusted to approaches currently employed in epidemiology.

    The Dynamic Model of Health Assets: a Model Development · 2024 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on the understudied group of veterans with deteriorating mental health who do not meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis.

    The Mask of the Warrior: unraveling deep-seated health vulnerabilities in veteran identities · 2024 · DOI

  • It highlights the need to develop more effective coping strategies for individuals with cardiovascular pathologies.

    Psychological implications of the application of health state continuous monitoring systems in cardiovascular pathologies · 2005 · DOI

  • The generalizability of existing theories, variables, and interventions to the worksite is unknown. There is a need to develop and refine research approaches suitable to occupational settings.

    Health Education Research in the Workplace · 1986 · DOI

  • The paper highlights the need for more effective educational programmes to encourage expectant mothers to reduce or stop smoking.

    Health beliefs and patient health behaviour · 1985 · DOI

  • The concept of life style remains poorly defined and lacks a clear understanding of its evolution and current use. There is a need to understand the context and meaning of health-related behavior and its implications for health promotion and disease prevention.

    Life style — An emergent concept in the sociomedical sciences · 1985 · DOI

  • Therefore, while it appears logical that attributions of control to external factors would increase concern over health matters, the causal mechanisms underlying this relationship remain to be determined.

    Children's understanding of health and illness concepts: a preventive health perspective · 1985 · DOI

  • Identifying the factors that contribute to care needs in older adults is essential for timely intervention. Social isolation is a complex issue, involving both physical and social determinants of health. The study aims to develop a sustainable care system for older adults.

    Sense of Coherence as a Moderator Between Social Isolation and the Risk of Care Dependency Among Older Adults in Japan · 2025 · DOI

  • Although the steering committee and subcommittee had ample content expertise and experience in competency three critical elements and curriculum development, (complexity, distance, and time) made the overall endeavor challenging.

    Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education · 2015 · DOI

  • The current approach to health education may not provide adequate opportunities for practical experience. Health education students may not have access to traditional laboratories for testing scientific hypotheses.

    The Personal Laboratory for Health Behavior Change · 1985 · DOI

  • Chronic patients often have limited social skills and may exhibit socially unacceptable behavior. Therapists may struggle to establish a therapeutic relationship with chronic patients due to their complex needs. The therapeutic relationship with chronic patients requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptability.

    Therapeutic relationships with the chronic patient · 1983 · DOI

  • The authors highlight the importance of therapist characteristics and patient strengths in supportive treatment, which is often overlooked.

    Therapeutic relationships with the chronic patient · 1983 · DOI

  • Research on the efficacy of patient education is in its infancy. Many studies simply describe a patient education program and extol its value without providing evidence of effectiveness.

    Patient Education and the Elderly · 1983 · DOI

  • Prior studies have failed to consider dimensionality within the global structure of attitudes. The concept of attitude has evolved from a uni-dimensional to a multi-dimensional concept, but little attention has been given to a proper approach to the measurement of health attitudes.

    Multivariate Analysis of Dimensionality in Health Attitude Structure · 1983 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in understanding the relationship between discrimination and quality of life in migrant populations and the role of the sense of coherence in mediating this relationship.

    The Sense of Coherence as a Mediator of the Negative Effect of Discrimination on the Quality of Life in the Migrant Population · 2025 · DOI

  • Investigate the causal relationship between physical exercise and emotional states in different populations, - Examine the effects of interventions targeting sense of coherence on physical exercise and emotional well-being, - Explore the role of sense of coherence in the relationship between physical exercise and negative emotional…

    A longitudinal examination of the effect of physical exercise on the emotional states of college students: exploring the sense of coherence as a mediator through a cross-lagged panel analysis · 2024 · DOI

  • There is a need for effective stress management techniques for college students, - Traditional stress management techniques may not be effective for all…

    The Plate Spinner: A Stress Awareness Activity · 1986 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Health, psychology, and well-being

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) In many populations, a strong sense of coherence is linked to a higher quality of life, but this relation has not been studied among autistic individuals (“Sense of Coherence and the Relation to Autistic Traits in Autistic Adults”, 2026); (2) Lack of consistency can occur when internal alternative provision pupils have more than one teacher per subject (“What works in internal alternative provision? A salutogenic analysis”, 2026); (3) There is a scarcity of research analyzing empirical data through a theoretical lens (“Youth Impacted by a Family Member’s Substance Use: A Qualitative Exploration of…”, 2026); (4) Prior work has established the correlation between physical exercise and emotional states, but the causal relationship between these variables is not well understood (“A longitudinal examination of the effect of physical exercise on the emotional…”, 2024); (5) There is a lack of research on the understudied group of veterans with deteriorating mental health who do not meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis (“The Mask of the Warrior: unraveling deep-seated health vulnerabilities in…”, 2024). 141 gap statements have been mined from Health, psychology, and well-being papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 917 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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