Mobile health for the treatment of anxiety and depression in vulnerable populations: a bibliometric approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61347/rcem.v1i2.e9Keywords:
Anxiety, bibliometrics, depression, vulnerable groups, mental health, mobile healthAbstract
The increasing use of mobile technologies in mental health care has driven the development of m-Health interventions aimed at treating anxiety and depression in vulnerable populations. This study aimed to analyze the evolution, characteristics, and dynamics of scientific production on m-Health for the treatment of anxiety and depression in vulnerable groups. To this end, a quantitative and descriptive approach was employed, retrieving 2,921 documents from the Scopus database through a search strategy based on terms related to mobile health, mental disorders, and vulnerable populations. The data were processed using R with the Bibliometrix package and the Biblioshiny interface. The results show an exponential growth in publications between 2015 and 2024, accompanied by a notable increase in citations. Torous J. and Christensen H. stand out as leading authors, while the Journal of Medical Internet Research and JMIR mHealth and uHealth concentrate most of the articles. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia lead scientific production. Core topics such as “mHealth” and “depression” exhibit high centrality, whereas “mental health,” “digital health,” and “adolescent” function as thematic motors. Institutional networks reveal clusters in North America, Europe, and Oceania, with international collaboration dominated by the United States, which maintains strong transregional links. This study provides a comprehensive overview that guides future research toward a more coordinated and effective development of digital mental health interventions.
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