Mapping the Research Landscape on University Students’ Mental Health: A Bibliometric Study

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the background, current trends, and conceptual framework of mental health research among university students using bibliometric analysis. Design/methodology/approach: A bibliometric analysis was performed utilizing the Biblioshiny package in R-Studio. This study utilizes bibliometric quantitative methods and conceptual frameworks for knowledge discovery. The screening algorithm recognized all references to “Mental Health,†“University Students,†and “Academic Performance†in article titles within Scopus, yielding a total of 174 scientific publications and journals published from 1995 to 2024. Findings: This bibliometric analysis encompassed 174 documents authored by 702 authors across 130 journals published in the Scopus database from 1995 to 2024. There were 647 affiliations among the universities or institutes where the authors were employed. The present body of research on mental health among university students is an expanding field of study. Previous studies have indicated that further study is required to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, such as setting-based techniques, and to determine risk factors and predictors of mental health among university students (Rahim et al., 2024). Early intervention and prevention can help evaluate these factors by looking at the long-term effects of early support services and the best time for intervention during the university experience. This means examining how well peer support, resilience training, and psychoeducation help to lower both the occurrence and severity of mental health issues. Preventing the deterioration of mental health problems by means of early intervention still proves to be cost-effective (Future Minds, 2025). Research limitations/implications: The study’s exclusive sourcing of data from the Scopus database presents a limitation. It would be significantly beneficial for additional researchers to perform bibliometric analyses of mental health by integrating data from Dimensions, PubMed, WOS, the Cochrane Library, or alternative databases. Additionally, the study would benefit from incorporating author and source impact, Lotka’s Law, Bradford’s Law, and other bibliometric elements for a more comprehensive descriptive analysis. Practical implications: This approach will assist researchers in conducting bibliometric analyses across various fields by providing a clear research flow from major online databases, featuring an easy-to-use interface that allows for quick analysis. Originality/value: By looking closely at previous studies, bibliometric analysis helps researchers identify the most important authors, articles, and institutions in their field, giving a clear and unbiased view of the research landscape for both academics and professionals (Hernández-Torrano et al., 2020; Rahim et al., 2023). A recent bibliometric analysis used similar methods to look at how artificial intelligence and college student mental health are connected, highlighting global publication trends, key contributors, and new research topics from the last twenty years (Chen et al., 2024). These evaluations not only emphasize the primary themes and significant contributions but also identify underexamined areas and interdisciplinary shortcomings. Thematic maps assist the visualization and classification of study issues, emphasizing dominant patterns, central themes, and emerging regions within the literature. These visual instruments help researchers in comprehending the structure, development, and dynamic growth of the field. Thematic mapping connects related topics and points out important themes, making it easier to choose and focus on new research areas, which increases the chances of making significant contributions to mental health studies.