Mapping International Research on Domestic Violence and Women’s Mental Health in China (2000–2024): Trends, Themes and Collaboration

Abstract

Background: Domestic violence poses a persistent global challenge to public health, deeply affecting women’s mental well-being. While growing international attention has turned toward the Chinese context—marked by legal reforms and rising academic output—a coherent, data-driven synthesis of the field’s thematic contours and collaborative dynamics remains absent.

Methods: We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 184 English-language articles indexed in Web of Science and Scopus (2000–2024). Using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer, we mapped research output, institutional and geographic trends, international collaboration, and thematic evolution across two decades.

Results: Following the enactment of China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law in 2016, scholarly production surged. China and the United States emerged as central contributors, with Hong Kong institutions bridging international networks. Thematic trajectories revealed a shift from descriptive epidemiology to focused engagement with trauma recovery, gender-responsive approaches, and culturally informed care strategies.

Conclusion: This study offers the first comprehensive bibliometric mapping of global research on domestic violence and women’s mental health in the Chinese context. By delineating evolving research priorities and intellectual linkages, it highlights the growing integration of localized social issues into global health governance discourses. These findings may inform evidence-based service planning, cross-cultural knowledge exchange, and trauma-informed mental health policymaking.