Household dysfunction and child outcomes in the Nordic countries: A bibliometric analysis

This article provides a bibliometric analysis of the literature on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) related to household dysfunction (parents' substance abuse, physical or mental illness, death, criminality, and divorce/separation) in five Nordic countries. We identify: 1) main patterns and characteristics of the literature on household dysfunction ACEs and child outcomes; 2) highlight research gaps, topics and approaches for future inquiry on these ACEs.

A systematic search for peer-reviewed articles published from 1998 to 2022 in English was conducted in seven databases. Information from the articles was extracted using a coding matrix that included variables related to country, specific household dysfunction ACE(s) occurring before 18 years, child outcome(s), method, data source(s) and whether resilience or protective factors were assessed. Bibliometric analyses were used to summarize the literature patterns.

A total of N=5003 publications were identified and n=342 publications were included in the analysis. n=112 publications studied two or more ACEs of interest. Divorce/separation was the most common individual ACE (n=97), whereas parental criminality was the least common (n=9). n=197 publications studied child mental health outcomes, whereas educational (n=41) and labour market (n=11) outcomes were less represented. Few (n=36) studies included protective factors.

Our findings suggest a notable increase in research on household dysfunction adversities in the Nordic countries over the past two decades, focusing mainly on health-related outcomes. Future research should investigate less represented adversities, functional outcomes and protective factors. Interdisciplinary and new methodological approaches can provide fresh insights into this public health challenge.