Special Interview with Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductual Editorial Board Member Prof. Chung-Ying Lin: Insights into Mental Health Research, Emerging Trends in Behavioral Psychology, and Journal Development
12 March 2026
Prof. Chung-Ying Lin is a professor at the Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), with joint appointments in the Department of Occupational Therapy (NCKU) and the Biostatistics Consulting Center in NCKU Hospital. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Occupational Therapy and a PhD in Allied Health Sciences. His research interests include mental health, quality of life, health behaviors, stigma, and behavioral addictions, with particular expertise in psychometrics. Prof. Lin serves on the Editorial Board of Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductual and holds associate editor and editorial board positions for several international journals.
Recently, our journal had the privilege of conducting an in-depth interview with Prof. Lin, during which he shared insights into his academic journey, perspectives on emerging trends in behavioral psychology, and his experiences and suggestions for the journal, both as an author and an editorial board member.
1. Could you please briefly introduce your academic background and your current main research interests?
My background is in occupational therapy. I completed both my bachelor's and master's degrees in Occupational Therapy at the National Cheng Kung University, followed by a PhD at the Institute of Allied Health Sciences. After a postdoctoral fellowship in public health, I served as an Assistant Professor in Rehabilitation Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. I then returned to my home institution, the National Cheng Kung University, where I was promoted to Full Professor one year ago.
My research primarily focuses on mental health, specifically psychosocial health. Currently, I am particularly interested in weight stigma and behavioral addictions, while continuing my work on quality of life.
2. Your early research interests were quite broad, but in recent years, you have clearly focused on mental health, stigma, and psychometrics. What was the turning point that led you to concentrate deeply on these areas?
As a junior scholar, I needed to expose myself to diverse areas to gain experience and broaden my horizons, so I didn't reject any opportunities early on. However, as my career progressed—especially after securing a permanent position—I realized that funding cannot support all research interests. I needed to identify what truly fascinated me—among various topics, mental health, stigma, and psychometrics resonated most with my academic passion, leading me to concentrate my resources on these areas.
3. Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductual (BP) journal is dedicated to advancing research in Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology, with an emphasis on the promotion of health behaviors and the intervention of dysfunctional behaviors. From your research perspective, what are the most prominent emerging trends or breakthrough directions in these fields currently?
I believe that internet addiction is an important research direction for this field in the future. In the post-pandemic era, online work and study have become the norm, and people's frequency of contacting the internet has increased significantly. Excessive use of the internet is likely to cause various mental health problems, a phenomenon that has attracted the attention of many countries. China has introduced game restriction policies for minors, Australia plans to ban minors from using some social media, and the United States has also paid attention to the negative impact of social media on teenagers' mental health. In the future, we need to focus on researching how to guide people in the healthy and rational use of the internet, which is also an important foothold for promoting health behaviors and intervening in dysfunctional behaviors.
4. AI-driven tools are increasingly used for mental health screening and intervention delivery. Do you believe this will fundamentally transform the way clinicians conduct psychological assessment and psychological therapy? What potential benefits and risks do you see in the growing use of AI-based tools for behavioral psychological screening and intervention?
AI tools have both advantages and disadvantages in psychological assessment and therapy, and their effectiveness ultimately depends on how users apply them. At present, the algorithms and information of some AI tools are inaccurate, and if used by non-professionals, misuse is very likely to occur. However, if used by psychologists with solid professional knowledge and rich clinical experience who can distinguish the rationality of the tools, AI can effectively reduce their workload. At the same time, we need to guard against potential risks, for example, malicious forces may mislead users' thinking by tampering with algorithms. Therefore, we cannot over-rely on AI and need to retain the professional judgment of clinicians.
5. Your research involves mental health and stigma, which are important topics in public health. In the context of global changes such as the post-pandemic era, how do you think the research focus on mental health stigma and intervention strategies should be adjusted? What role can journals like BP play in addressing these social and academic issues?
The issue of mental health stigma is not a new problem in the post-pandemic era, and its core crux lies in people's cognitive biases towards mental illnesses. Relevant research and interventions have been advancing for many years and require continuous efforts. The key to intervention is to convey correct knowledge about mental illnesses to the public and change inherent stereotypes. Journals like BP can play an academic guiding role by strictly controlling the descriptions of people with mental illnesses in papers during the review process, requiring authors to revise inappropriate and biased expressions, and guiding society to form a correct understanding of people with mental illnesses through standardizing academic expressions.
6. How did you first learn about BP? What motivated you to join its Editorial Board, and what aspects of BP attracted you the most?
I first learned about BP when your editorial office contacted me via email, inviting me to join the Editorial Board. After receiving the invitation, I visited your website and checked the journal in various databases. My impression was that BP aims to facilitate knowledge transfer in health psychology and is eager to promote content not only in English but also in different languages.
After joining, I found the editorial office highly efficient. You consistently send updates on submissions, reviewer assignments, and responses. Whenever I have queries, your replies are always prompt. I appreciate BP's effectiveness and its high publication standards. The journal follows rigorous rules—for instance, sending manuscripts to three or four reviewers—which demonstrates a commitment to quality.
7. Based on your rich experience as an associate editor, section editor, and editorial board member of multiple renowned journals, what practical advice would you give to young researchers to help them improve the quality of their manuscripts?
In short, I would advise young researchers to find a good supervisor or mentor who can teach them the details of academic writing. As a reviewer and editor, I frequently receive papers that are poorly written in English or fail to adhere to academic style conventions. For example, some authors use commas as decimal points due to local language habits, but international journals require periods. Such minor details signal to editors and reviewers that the author may not be familiar with the norms of academic publishing.
Beyond writing skills, identifying a genuine literature gap is crucial. However, literature gaps are subjective. An experienced supervisor can help young scholars recognize what is truly lacking in the field.
8. BP is an international peer-reviewed open-access journal. When reviewing manuscripts submitted to BP, which aspects (such as research originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal’s scope) do you pay the most attention to? How would you evaluate BP’s current performance in maintaining a fair and transparent peer review process?
I follow a fixed judgment process when reviewing manuscripts. First, I check whether the research direction of the manuscript is in line with the scope of the BP journal, which is the basic premise; second, I pay attention to the writing expression of the manuscript. If the expression is obscure and difficult to understand, making it impossible for readers to comprehend the research content, it will directly affect the review result. Finally, I consider the research originality and the rigor of research methods as equally important, which are the core of evaluating the academic value of the manuscript. In terms of the fairness and transparency of peer review, BP has performed extremely well. The journal does not decide the acceptance of manuscripts only based on the opinions of the editorial board, but obtains diverse review opinions by inviting multiple reviewers to provide a comprehensive reference for the judgment of academic editors. This practice not only ensures the fairness and transparency of the review but also effectively reduces the workload of the editorial board.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Prof. Chung-Ying Lin for taking the time to share his academic journey—from occupational therapy to mental health research—and his profound insights into emerging trends in behavioral psychology. As an Editorial Board member of Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductual, Prof. Lin offered valuable feedback on the journal's efficient operations, rigorous standards, and transparent peer review process, while also providing constructive advice for young researchers and the journal's future development.
Behavioral Psychology/Psicología Conductual remains committed to advancing international academic exchange in clinical and health psychology, promoting evidence-based interventions for health behaviors, and serving as a high-quality publication platform for global behavioral psychology research. We look forward to collaborating with more scholars like Prof. Lin to advance the field and address societal needs.
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