Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul 26:13:792599.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.792599. eCollection 2022.

Exploring the past, present, and future of the mindfulness field: A multitechnique bibliometric review

Aldijana Bunjak  1 , Matej Černe  2 , Emilie Lara Schölly  1
Affiliations

Exploring the past, present, and future of the mindfulness field: A multitechnique bibliometric review

Aldijana Bunjak et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the mindfulness literature up until the end of 2020 by (a) uncovering its underlying intellectual structure, (b) identifying the most influential and popular themes, and (c) presenting new directions for future research on mindfulness. To this end, a systematic quantitative review based on bibliometric methods was conducted, which is perhaps less prone to researcher bias and can complement existing meta-analyses and qualitative (narrative) structured reviews as an objective approach. Three bibliometric techniques-document co-citation analysis, co-word (co-occurrence and content) analysis, and bibliographic coupling-were applied to explore the past, present, and future of mindfulness research. The co-citation analysis showed that measurement, mechanisms, mindfulness-based interventions, and examinations of the efficacy of mindfulness interventions are among the key theoretical knowledge bases from which the field of mindfulness is derived. The content analysis demonstrated the beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation for physical and mental health conditions. The bibliographic coupling revealed novel directions in cognitive behavioral therapy, emotion regulation, the application of mindfulness practice to children and adolescents, mindfulness at work, and the role of mindfulness in positive psychology. The large sample of articles that was analyzed allowed us to provide a broader and more objective overview than possible with other forms of literature reviews. The combination of the three bibliometric techniques granted deeper insights into the complex multidisciplinary field of mindfulness, along with specific suggestions for future research.

Keywords: bibliographic coupling; bibliometric review; co-word analysis; document co-citation analysis; mindfulness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Network visualization of co-citation analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Development patterns of mindfulness research based on the invisible colleges framework.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Network visualization of co-word analysis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Network visualization of bibliographic coupling.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Baer R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and empirical review. Clin. Psychol. Sci. Prac. 10, 125–143. 10.1093/clipsy.bpg015 - DOI
    1. Baer R. A., Smith G. T., Allen K. B. (2004). Assessment of mindfulness by self-report - the Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills. Assessment 11, 191–206. 10.1177/1073191104268029 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baer R. A., Smith G. T., Hopkins J., Krietemeyer J., Toney L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment 13, 27–45. 10.1177/1073191105283504 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baminiwatta A., Solangaarachchi I. (2021). Trends and developments in mindfulness research over 55 years: a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in Web of Science. Mindfulness 12, 2099–2116. 10.1007/s12671-021-01681-x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Batistič S., Cerne M., Vogel B. (2017). Just how multi-level is leadership research? A document co-citation analysis 1980-2013 on leadership constructs and outcomes. Leadersh. Q. 28, 86–103. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.10.007 - DOI

Publication types