Bibliometric analysis of domestic and international literature on late-life depression from 2015 to 2024

LAI Jinghan; ZHANG Xingyu; WANG Huali

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2096-9058.2026.01.003

Abstract：Objective To analyze the domestic and international research progress in the field of late-life depression(LLD)over the past decade,with the aim of providing targeted references for future research in this field.Methods A comprehensive search was conducted in the CNKI databases and Web of Science Core Collection for literature related to LLD published from January 1,2015,to August 25,2024.Bibliometric analyses were performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software through methods such as author and country collaboration networks,keyword co-occurrence networks,clustering analysis,and burst term analysis.A cross-linguistic comparative analysis was then carried out on the included Chinese and English literature.Results A total of 495 Chinese literature and 4 446 English literature were included in this study.The annual output of Chinese literature remained relatively stable with small fluctuations and a significantly low‐er total volume.The annual publication volume of English literature showed a steady slow upward trend over the decade.Core author teams and collaboration networks have been formed in both Chinese and English research communities;never‐theless,English-language research demonstrated greater breadth,depth,and interdisciplinary diversity.Social support,pharmacotherapy,and anxiety were identified as common research hotspots in both literatures.Notably,Chinese literature focused more on special populations and social determinants,while English literature formed distinct research clusters cov‐ering epidemiological characteristics,cognitive impairment associations,risk factors,anxiety comorbidity,and interven‐tion approaches.Conclusions The field of LLD has accumulated substantial research achievements over the past de‐cade.However,further in-depth exploration is still required regarding the unique social and physiological characteristics of elderly patients and the development of more optimized and individualized therapeutic strategies.Chinese-language re‐search remains in the initial stage of development,and thus requires enhanced academic attention,improved systematic‐ness,and enrichment of clinical evidence for novel antidepressant drugs to advance the field.For English-language re‐search,there is an urgent need to strengthen studies specifically targeting the LLD population.