Bereavement on children and adolescents: A bibliometric study

Abstract

Grief is an emotional response to the loss of someone or something significant. While most research on grief and bereavement, including bibliometric studies, has focused on adult populations or individuals with life-threatening conditions, studies involving pediatric populations remain limited. This study employed bibliometric methods to examine publication patterns on grief in children and adolescents. After conducting filtered Scopus searches, 1,436 articles were identified. The analysis and visualization were performed using R Base, R Studio, and VOSViewer. The United States is at the forefront of global research on grief in children and adolescents. Arizona State University has made the greatest number of scholarly contributions, while Kaplow JB is the most productive author. The 2000 study conducted by Wolfe J on children’s end-of-life experiences, which could suggest anticipatory grief, holds the highest number of citations. The majority of studies have focused on the topics of causes of bereavement, the loss of human life, the symptoms that are associated with it, bereavement interventions, related factors, and psychological aspects. Researchers could employ the theme gaps to direct future research.