Bibliometric Differences Between WEIRD and Non-WEIRD Countries in the Outcome Research on Solution-Focused Brief...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) emerged alongside Positive Psychology, focusing on client strengths and resources.
• SFBT is a therapeutic approach applied in various contexts beyond traditional psychotherapy, including coaching and educational settings.
• The study addresses the geographical distribution and development trends of outcome research in SFBT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the development of outcome research on Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).
• To investigate the geographical prevalence of SFBT outcome research, specifically examining its focus on Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) countries.
• To identify trends in authors, countries, publication language, journals, intervention samples, intervention characteristics, and study designs.

Main Methods:

• A bibliometric literature review was conducted.
• 365 original outcome research articles on solution-focused interventions were extracted and analyzed.
• Data analyzed included publication trends, geographical origin, language, journals, samples, intervention types, and study designs.

Main Results:

• Outcome research on SFBT has shown steady growth over the past three decades.
• While SFBT research originated in WEIRD countries, non-WEIRD countries now produce a higher volume of outcome research.
• International collaboration is limited; English, Chinese, and Parsi are predominant publication languages in non-WEIRD countries, contrasting with English in WEIRD countries.

Conclusions:

• Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a globally practiced intervention, not confined to Western contexts.
• The wide applicability of SFBT is confirmed across clinical and non-clinical settings, individual and group formats, and diverse intervention types.
• The study supports SFBT's role as a versatile component in psychosocial interventions, highlighting its global reach and adaptability.