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Review
. 2024 Jun 11;16(6):e62139.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.62139. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Emerging Themes and Research Frontiers in Suicide Prediction: A Scientometric Analysis

Kochumol Abraham  1 , Anish K R  2 , Greety Toms  3 , Nice Mary Francis P  4 , Jobi Babu  5
Affiliations
Review

Emerging Themes and Research Frontiers in Suicide Prediction: A Scientometric Analysis

Kochumol Abraham et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Suicide remains a critical global health issue despite advancements in mental health treatment. The purpose of this analysis is to emphasize the development, patterns, and noteworthy outcomes of suicide prediction research. It also helps to uncover gaps and areas of under-researched topics within suicide prediction. A scientometric analysis was conducted using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. To thoroughly assess the academic literature on suicide prediction, various scientometric methodologies such as trend analysis and citation analysis were employed. We utilized the temporal features of the Web of Science to analyze publication trends over time. Author affiliation data were used to investigate the geographic distribution of research. Cluster analysis was performed by grouping related keywords into clusters to identify overarching themes within the literature. A total of 1,703 articles from 828 different sources, spanning from 1942 to 2023, were collected for the analysis. Machine learning techniques might have a big influence on suicide-related event prediction, which would enhance attempts at suicide prevention and intervention. The conceptual understanding of suicide prediction is enhanced by scientometric analysis, which further uncovers the research gap and literature in this area. Suicide prediction research underscores that suicidal behavior is not caused by a single factor but is the result of a complex interplay of multiple factors. These factors may include biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Understanding and integrating these factors into predictive models is a theoretical advancement in the field. Unlike previous bibliometric studies in the field of suicide prediction that have typically focused on specific subtopics or data sources, our analysis offers a comprehensive mapping of the entire landscape. We encompass a wide range of suicide prediction literature, including research from medical, psychological, and social science domains, thus providing a holistic overview.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis; biblioshiny; scientometric analysis; suicide prediction; vosviewer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Annual scientific production from 1990 to 2023.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Top 10 relevant sources.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Chronological map of the most relevant citations.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Representation of trend topic.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Thematic representation of suicide prediction.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Visual representation of the citation relationships between documents.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Co-occurrence clusters in suicide prediction.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Network representation of bibliographic linkage among 39 nations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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