The scientific study of masturbation: a bibliometric analysis

Given the contradictory positions regarding masturbation-from its promotion as a healthy practice to its association with negative experiences, which highlight the complexity of this behavior-a bibliometric approach is necessary to help structure this debate. This study aims to map scientific articles indexed in Scopus to identify research production on masturbation, including trends in production growth, sources, authors, countries, affiliations, relevant terms, and collaboration networks.

A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 3239 articles published in scientific journals. The selected studies included terms related to masturbation in the title, abstract, and keywords. Articles published between 1840 and 2025 were analyzed, examining their temporal evolution, the most productive authors, countries, and institutions, as well as relevant terms, trending topics, co-occurrence, and collaborations using the R-bibliometrix package.

A progressive growth in scientific production was observed, particularly from the 1970s onward. The most productive journals were Archives of Sexual Behavior, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, and The Journal of Sex Research. Scientific output was concentrated mainly in North America and Europe. Trending terms such as "NoFap" and "manosphere" were identified, and limited collaboration networks were observed.

The findings highlight the sustained growth and increasing multidisciplinary nature of masturbation research, while emphasizing the need for broader geographical representation and continued development of this field.