Is traumatic stress research global? A bibliometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Global Mental Health
• Trauma and Stress Studies
• Health Equity Research

Background:

• Representation of low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) in traumatic stress research is crucial for a global evidence base and addressing unmet mental health needs.
• Previous reviews indicated limited LMIC involvement in traumatic stress research compared to high-income countries (HIC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current global landscape of traumatic stress research.
• To determine the extent of research conducted in LMIC, by LMIC researchers, and its accessibility to them.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of PubMed, PsychInfo, and PILOTS for peer-reviewed traumatic stress articles published in 2012.
• Random sampling (N=1,000) of 3,123 identified papers for coding of study, author, article, and journal characteristics.

Main Results:

• Research involved 56 countries, but 87% focused on HIC (51% in the US).
• Author teams were predominantly from HIC (88%), with minimal HIC-LMIC collaboration (<5%).
• Many LMIC studies lacked LMIC co-authors (45%), and LMIC researchers published in lower-impact journals; over half of articles required subscriptions.

Conclusions:

• Traumatic stress research is globalizing but remains HIC-dominated, with missed opportunities for LMIC capacity building.
• Further international collaboration and equitable research practices are needed to enhance global traumatic stress research.