Bibliometric analysis of suicide risk assessment in children and adolescents: Trends and future directions

Abstract

Suicide risk among children and adolescents continues to rise, yet critical trends and research gaps in suicide risk assessment remain unexamined. This study aimed to analyze global research trends on suicide risk assessment in children and adolescents using Scopus-indexed literature from 1984 to 2024. VOSviewer was used to visualize keyword co-occurrence and thematic trends. Bibliometric data were extracted from abstracts, including publication volume, citation counts, and author productivity. The search strategy identified 1195 articles, with 259 meeting the inclusion criteria. Publications grew annually by 7.78 %, with contributions from 1243 unique authors and an average document age of 9.22 years. The United States was the leading contributor, followed by China, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The Journal of Affective Disorders is the one with the highest number of publications on network analysis in suicide risk assessment, followed by the Journal of Archives of Suicide Research and Psychiatry Research. Most documents were articles (236), with few reviews (15). Key research areas included suicidal ideation, psychometric evaluations, and stress markers. However, critical gaps persist, particularly in developing culturally sensitive assessment tools, integrating biological and psychosocial risk factors, and expanding research in low- and middle-income countries. Most assessment tools are developed in Western settings, limiting cross-cultural applicability. Given the role of sociocultural factors in suicidal behaviors, future research should prioritize culturally adapted assessment methods and validate self-report tools in diverse populations. Addressing these gaps is essential for improving global suicide prevention strategies.