A forty-year bibliometric analysis on the stigma in children with epilepsy

Abstract

Objective: Stigma in children with epilepsy is an important issue that negatively affects children with epilepsy and their immediate environment. However, examining the relevant literature revealed that systematic reviews on this subject were limited, and there was no bibliometric study. The aim of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the studies conducted over the past 40 years on stigma in children with epilepsy. Methods: This study used the Web of Science Core Collection database. Articles in this widely used globally database were searched on August 14, 2024, using the following keywords: topic search (TS) = (“epilepsy” or “seizure” or “convulsion” or “epileptic” or “status epilepticus”) and TS = (“stigma*” or “social stigma*” or “stereotyping” or “discriminat*” or “prejudice” or “social exclusion” or “social cohesion”) and TS = (“child*” or “adolescent*” or “pediatric” or “preschool”). Original research articles published in English between 1980 and 2024 in the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Science Citation Index Expanded, and the Emerging Sources Citation Index were selected. Results: In this study, a total of 883 articles in the Web of Science database were examined and analyzed. Studies on stigma in children with epilepsy have been increasing since the 1980s. Eight hundred eighty-three articles were published in 333 different journals, among which 47 included three or more related publications. The journals in which the relevant publications were published were Epilepsy and Behavior (n=221), Epilepsia (n=54), Seizure-European Journal of Epilepsy (n=41). Conclusion: The number of published articles increased over the years, with more studies conducted in developed countries. In recent years, it has been observed that stigma in children with epilepsy has focused on topics such as quality of life and intervention. This study will guide researchers who will publish on stigma in children with epilepsy.