Illness perception: A bibliometric study

Abstract

Illness perception is a crucial area of study that has seen significant growth and development over the years. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric and network analysis of illness perception research, capturing its evolution from 1975 to 2023. Utilizing 1813 publications from the Scopus database, authored by 5428 researchers, we identify key scholars and influential articles in the field. Our analysis includes various bibliometric networks such as citation, co-citation, collaboration, and keyword co-occurrence networks, along with the presentation of intellectual structure maps. Major research areas include the role of illness perception in mental health conditions like depression, coping mechanisms, quality of life, and chronic illnesses like diabetes, as well as the influence of lay beliefs on health behaviors, and the impact of illness beliefs on conditions like Myocardial Infarction and stroke. The results show a growing academic interest in understanding how illness perceptions shape healthcare outcomes and behaviors.

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; Chronic illness; Depression; Illness perception.

Fig. 1

Self-regulation model (Adapted from Leventhal et al., [9]).

Fig. 2

Research procedure.

Fig. 3

The annual scientific output of Illness Perception research (1975–2023).

Fig. 4

Illness Perception research in various countries.

Fig. 5

Illness Perception research source growth dynamics.

Fig. 6

Most productive authors in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 7

The fit of Illness Perception research distribution as compared to Lotka's law.

Fig. 8

Most influential authors in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 9

Historiography of Illness Perception research.

Fig. 10

Author co-citation network in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 11

Journal co-citation network in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 12

Author collaboration network in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 13

Institutional collaboration network in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 14

National collaboration networks in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 15

Temporal presentation of national collaboration networks.

Fig. 16

National cooperation map.

Fig. 17

The evolution dynamics of authors' keywords over time.

Fig. 18

Sankey diagram of Illness Perception research (keyword-author-publication linkages).

Fig. 19

Keyword co-occurrence network in Illness Perception research.

Fig. 20

Conceptual structure map.

Fig. 21

Thematic map in illness perception research.