Data analysis and visualization of mental health research of Chinese and foreign college students

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to comprehend the study hotspots and frontiers in the field of college students' mental health in China and overseas, to reveal their similarities and differences, and to clarify the future direction of research. The study visually analyzed 3,314 documents collected by CNKI and 7,931 documents in the Web of Science core collection from 2012 to 2022 using pathfinding network algorithm. The results indicate that a vast network of global partnerships has been established. The number of Chinese scholars published in English journals is increasing rapidly; the hotspots of college students’ mental health research in China and abroad mainly focus on the main characteristics of college students' psychological problems, the factors influencing the level of mental health and the responses to mental health management, as well as the differences in the focus of Chinese and foreign stage research and the differences in highlighting the frontier themes. These differences in focus and themes of the frontier are important. Future research should strengthen the study of new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence in early warning and digital intervention of psychological crisis.