Evolution of Mental Health Nursing Research in Indonesia Over Two Decades: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis

Fandro Armando Tasijawa1,2*, Ah Yusuf1, Joan Herly Herwawan2

1Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, East Java 60115, Indonesia

2Faculty of Health Science, Universitas Kristen Indonesia Maluku, Kota Ambon, Maluku 97115, Indonesia

*Corresponding Author’s Email: fandro.armando.tasijawa-2025@fkp.unair.ac.id

ABSTRACT

Background: Mental health nursing research in Indonesia has shown substantial growth, yet it continues to encounter challenges related to research infrastructure, limited resources, regional disparities, and funding constraints. Objectives: To capture the trajectory of this development, a bibliometric analysis was undertaken using data from the Web of Science Core Collection spanning 2006–2025. Methods: A total of 310 publications were examined through the WoS Analysis Tool, VOSviewer, MapChart, and Microsoft Excel. The analysis covered publication and citation trends, disciplinary focus, journal distribution, institutional contributions, authorship patterns, international collaborations, and keyword co-occurrence. Results: Results indicated a marked increase in output beginning in 2018, peaking at 54 publications in 2024. The dataset received a total of 2,167 citations, with an average of 6.99 citations per article, reflecting a growing international scholarly presence. The primary research domains included nursing (34.51%), psychiatry (20.95%), and public health (18.38%). The leading institutions were Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Airlangga, and Universitas Gadjah Mada. International collaboration extended across 60 countries, with Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States as the most frequent partners. Conclusion: The findings underscore an evolving research landscape in Indonesia, highlighting the importance of strengthening research capacity, diversifying methodological approaches, and fostering global partnerships to advance evidence-based practice and inform mental health nursing policy.

Keywords: Bibliometric; Indonesia; Mental Health; Nursing; Research

INTRODUCTION

Nursing research in mental health in Indonesia is an emerging field, with various studies highlighting the geographical and cultural challenges that affect the equitable distribution of services and research productivity across regions (Mun et al., 2025; Tasijawa & Yusuf, 2025). These conditions have prompted efforts to strengthen educational capacity and clinical practice; however, the development of this research area has not yet been systematically mapped using a bibliometric approach (Cristea et al., 2025; Saljan et al., 2025). In practice, mental health nurses operate across multiple levels of care – from health promotion to acute psychiatric treatment – making robust scientific literature essential. Bibliometrics is an important method for evaluating research dynamics, identifying thematic trends, and assessing academic contributions within a discipline (Xie & Kang, 2025; Yosep et al., 2025).

Globally, bibliometric analysis has been widely applied to map disciplinary developments in nursing and to highlight research opportunities and gaps (De Gagne et al., 2025; Monaco et al., 2025). Therefore, such mapping is highly relevant for understanding Indonesia’s position within the international research landscape. Previous mental health nursing research in Indonesia has focused on issues such as schizophrenia care, stigma, family support, recovery, and digital interventions (Amin et al., 2025; Astuti et al., 2020).

However, publication output remains fragmented and uneven across institutions and regions (Marriott et al., 2023; Munira et al., 2023). Compared with Western countries that possess more established research infrastructures, Indonesia is still in a developmental phase and faces challenges related to resources and research capacity (Warrender et al., 2024; Santangelo et al., 2018). Moreover, Indonesia’s thematic emphasis on stigma, family involvement, and community-based services reflects a research profile that differs from Western nations, which more often prioritize digital innovation and recovery-oriented practices (Comparcini et al., 2025; Horton et al., 2025).

In this context, a bibliometric analysis can provide a comprehensive overview of productivity, collaboration networks, and thematic orientations within Indonesian mental health nursing research. The findings are expected to strengthen national research capacity, foster international collaboration, and support the development of mental health nursing practices that are more responsive to community needs.

Research Gap

Mental health nursing research in Indonesia has demonstrated notable progress but still faces several gaps, including the absence of a comprehensive bibliometric mapping to evaluate productivity, regional disparities, collaboration patterns, contributions to global trends, and thematic evolution. Fragmented topics and limited international visibility make it difficult to assess the trajectory of research development and its alignment with practice needs. Therefore, bibliometric analysis is crucial for providing a holistic understanding of the position, patterns, and potential of mental health nursing research in Indonesia.

METHODOLOGY

Data Source

The bibliographic data for this study were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). WoS indexes over 34,000 journals and contains more than 271 million metadata records, encompassing 254 disciplines across the sciences, social sciences, and the arts and humanities. Given its extensive citation coverage, WoS is particularly well-suited for bibliometric studies, including co-citation analyses.

Search Strategy and Data Retrieval

An advanced search was performed in the Web of Science (WoS) on September 7, 2025, using the query TS = (Mental health) AND TS = (Nurs) AND TS = (Indonesia). The initial search identified 1,034 records. To enhance accuracy, two researchers independently conducted the search, two others verified the dataset, and an additional reviewer validated the final results. All researchers involved in searching, screening, reviewing, and data extraction worked independently.

This study targeted research articles published between 2006 and 2025. Only documents classified as “articles” were included, while other publication types – such as review articles,proceedings papers, letters, editorials, abstracts, early access items, book chapters, and book reviews – were excluded. The review was further restricted to English-language publications indexed in the Science Citation Index (SCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and Social Sciences Citation Index-Expanded (SSCI-E). Each record was manually screened to confirm relevance, and non-eligible studies were removed. Additional details are presented in Table 1.

In total, 310 articles satisfied the inclusion criteria and were retained for final analysis (Figure 1). The bibliographic data were exported in the “full records with cited references” format for subsequent analysis using VOS viewer.

Data Analysis and Visualization

The dataset was analyzed and visualized using multiple bibliometric applications, including the Web of Science (WoS) Analysis Tool, VOSviewer (version 1.6.20), and Microsoft Excel 2021. Additionally, MapChart was applied to display the geographic distribution of publications on a global scale.

Web of Science Analysis

A descriptive evaluation was carried out to highlight major trends related to leading authors, countries, institutions, journals, and annual publication output. The WoS Analysis Tool was utilized to generate graphical representations of these findings.

VOSviewer

VOSviewer facilitated the construction of bibliometric maps derived from network data. This tool was employed to visualize international collaboration networks, co-authorship relationships, and keyword co-occurrence patterns within the body of literature on mental health nursing research in Indonesia. The visual outputs used distinct colors to denote clusters, connecting lines to show relational strength (with corresponding numerical values), and circle sizes to indicate the magnitude of link strength.

Map Chart

Geographical maps were created using MapChart.net to depict the distribution of published articles by country (MapChart, 2025). Each country was color-coded according to its publication volume, allowing for clear identification of relative contributions across nations. This visualization provided a simple yet informative representation of the global distribution of publications on mental health nursing research in Indonesia.

Microsoft Excel

In addition to the WoS Analysis Tool, VOS viewer, and MapChart, Microsoft Excel 2021 was employed for basic descriptive analyses. Bibliographic data exported from WoS were processed in Excel to generate tabulated datasets, which were subsequently visualized as bar charts and line graphs. These visualizations offered a straightforward depiction of publication dynamics before being further mapped through VOS viewers.

image


Figure 1: PRISMA Diagram Illustrating the Process of Study Identification and Selection Table 1: Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Criteria

Inclusion

Exclusion


Study type


Peer-reviewed original research articles

Review articles, conference proceedings, letters, editorials, abstracts, book reviews, book chapters

Publication period

2006-2025

Publication outside this period

Database

Indexed in Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC)

Not indexed in WoSCC

Language

English-language publications

Non-English publications

Discipline coverage

Articles classified in SCI, SSCI, SSCI- E relevant to nursing, psychiatry, and mental health

Articles irrelevant to nursing or mental health domains


Relevance

Directly related to mental health nursing research in Indonesia

Studies outside the scope (general medical research without nursing focus, or mental health studies unrelated to Indonesia)

RESULTS

Annual Distribution of Publications

Table 2: Publication Metrics


Year

Total Number of Articles

Total Number of Citations

Percentage (%)

2006

1

0

0.32

2007

0

0

0.00

2008

0

0

0.00

2009

2

2

0.65

2010

0

1

0.00

2011

2

5

0.65

2012

1

3

0.32

2013

0

10

0.00

2014

3

9

0.97

2015

8

15

2.58

2016

4

26

1.29

2017

3

17

0.97

2018

14

22

4.52

2019

25

36

8.06

2020

17

94

5.48

2021

43

188

13.87

2022

42

331

13.55

2023

45

385

14.52

2024

52

555

16.77

2025

48

468

15.48

Trends in mental health nursing research publications in Indonesia from 2006 to 2025 show several important shifts that are closely linked to national and global events influencing mental health discourse and research priorities (Table 2). During the period 2006–2014, publication output remained low and inconsistent, with an average of only one to two articles per year. This pattern reflects the limited national investment in mental health research infrastructure at the time, as well as the absence of strong mental health policy initiatives in Indonesia.

A gradual increase began to emerge in 2015, with a more notable rise observed in 2018. This development was driven by two key factors. First, the expansion of postgraduate nursing programs across major universities in Indonesia, which strengthened academic capacity and increased research output in the field of mental health nursing. Second, the growth of international collaborations, particularly with institutions in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The most significant surge occurred between 2020 and 2024, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic – a global event that heightened attention to mental health issues across health systems worldwide. During this period, there was an urgent need for research on psychological distress, coping mechanisms, resilience, challenges in mental health services, and the impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers, including nurses. The rise in Indonesian publications during this time aligns with the global increase in mental health and nursing research output observed throughout the pandemic.

Citation Trends

In terms of citation count, mental health nursing research in Indonesia demonstrates an increasingly significant scientific impact. A total of 2,167 citations were recorded between 2006 and 2025, with an average of 6.99 citations per article. Prior to 2018, citation numbers were relatively low due to limited international visibility and a research scope still dominated by local contexts. However, the sharp increase in citations after 2020 can be attributed to two main factors.

First, there was a heightened global scientific focus on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies from Indonesia published during this period received greater scholarly attention, aligning with the increased global demand for evidence related to mental health. Second, the strengthening of international collaborations – particularly with researchers from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – enhanced cross-citation patterns and increased the global visibility of Indonesian research. Publications resulting from international collaboration are known to have higher citation impacts, a trend clearly reflected in the list of the ten most-cited articles (Table 3).

This indicates that mental health nursing research in Indonesia is not only growing in quantity but is also gaining broader recognition for its contributions to the global body of literature (Figure 2).


image

Figure 2: Publications and Citation Trends in Mental Health Nursing Research in Indonesia

Table 3: Top 10 Cited Studies




Rank


Title

Authors and Year


Source

Average Citation per year

Total Citation


1

Types of stigmas experienced by patients with mental illness and mental health nurses in Indonesia: a qualitative content analysis


Subu et al.

(2021)

International Journal of Mental Health Systems


18.2


91


2

The effect of mindfulness-based training on stress, anxiety, depression and job satisfaction among ward nurses: A randomized control trial


Ghawadra et al.

(2020)


Journal of Nursing Management


11.83


71


3

COVID-19: Factors associated with psychological distress, fear, and coping strategies among community members across 17 countries


Rahman et al.

(2021)


Globalization and Health


10.6


53


4

Family caregivers' involvement in caring for a hospitalized patient with cancer and their quality of life in a country with strong family bonds


Effendy et al.

(2015)


Psycho- Oncology


4.55


50


5

Perceived barriers on mental health services by the family of patients with mental illness


Tristiana et al.

(2018)

International Journal of Nursing Sciences


5.75


46


6

The prevalence of long-term post- traumatic stress symptoms among adolescents after the tsunami in Aceh


Agustini et al.

(2011)

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing


3.07


46


7

Work from home: Indonesian employees' mental well-being and productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic


Sutarto et al.

(2021)

International Journal of Workplace Health Management


7.6


38


8


Traditional, religious, and cultural perspectives on mental illness: a qualitative study on causal beliefs and treatment use


Subu et al.

(2022)

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being


9


36


9

Mediating effect of resilience on association among stress, depression, and anxiety in Indonesian nursing students


Devi et al.

(2021)

Journal of Professional Nursing


7.2


36


10

Quality of life, depression, and anxiety of patients undergoing hemodialysis: Significant role of acceptance of the illness


Marthoenis et al. (2021)

The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine


6


36

Table 3 presents the ten most cited mental health nursing studies in Indonesia between 2006 and 2025. The article with the highest citation count is by Subu et al. (2021), entitled “Types of stigmas experienced by patients with mental illness and mental health nurses in Indonesia: A qualitative content analysis”, published in the International Journal of Mental HealthSystems The study has accumulated 91 citations, averaging 18.2 citations annually, which underscores the prominence of stigma among patients and mental health nurses as a research topic that has attracted substantial international interest.

Research Area

Table 4: Top 10 Research Areas in Mental Health Nursing Research in Indonesia


Research Area

Number of Publications

Percentage (%)

Nursing

107

32.72

Psychiatry

65

19.88

Public Environmental Occupational Health

57

17.43

Health Care Sciences Services

32

9.79

Medicine General Internal

21

6.42

Multidisciplinary Sciences

14

4.28

Pediatrics

14

4.28

Health Policy Services

6

1.83

Psychology Clinical

6

1.83

Environmental Sciences

5

1.53

According to the research areas categorized in WoS, more than one-third of the publications were classified under Nursing, which accounted for 107 articles (32.72%), followed by Psychiatry (19.88%) and Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health (17.43%) (Table 4). These findings suggest that mental health nursing research in Indonesia is largely situated within nursing practice, clinical psychiatry, and the broader domains of public and occupational health. At the same time, the evidence points to a gradual shift toward a multidisciplinary perspective, with growing contributions from fields such as health sciences, policy studies, and environmental research.

Most Prolific Journals

Table 5: Top 10 Journals in Mental Health Nursing in Indonesia



Journal

Number of Publications


Citations

Percentage (%)

Journal Impact Factora

Belitung Nursing Journal

26

92

26.53

1.4

Journal of Public Health Research

12

40

12.24

1.8

Enfermeria Clinica

11

44

11.22

1.1

Journal of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences

10

1

10.20

0.2

Healthcare in Low-Resource Settings

10

7

10.20

0.2b

PLOS One

7

46

7.14

2.6

Child and adolescent psychiatry and Mental Health

7

29

7.14

4.6

International Journal of Nursing Sciences

5

107

5.10

3.1

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

5

53

5.10

4.614

BMC Nursing

5

36

5.10

3.9

abased on 2024 Journal Citation Reports-Clarivate Analytics

bbased on 2023 Journal Citation Reports-Clarivate Analytics

As shown in Table 5, WoS recorded a total of 152 journals that published at least one article on mental health nursing in Indonesia. Table 5 lists the ten journals with the highest publication counts in this area. The Belitung Nursing Journal, published by the Belitung Raya Foundation, ranked first with 26 publications (26.53%), making it the most prolific journal to date in disseminating research on mental health nursing in Indonesia.

Most Prolific Organizations

Table 6: 10 Leading Organizations Contributing to Mental Health Nursing Research in Indonesia


Organizations

Number

Citations

Percentage (%)

University of Indonesia

64

421

20.64

Gadjah Mada University

57

251

18.38

Airlangga University

48

443

15.48

Padjadjaran University

32

236

10.32

University of Syiah Kuala

32

98

10.32

University of Manchester

20

149

6.45

Andalas University

14

33

4.51

Brawijaya University

13

31

4.19

Taipei Medical University

13

113

4.19

University of Muhammadiyah Malang

12

25

3.87

Table 6 lists the top 10 organizations with the highest research output on mental health nursing in Indonesia. Among them, eight are located in Indonesia, while one institution is based in the United Kingdom and another in Taiwan.

Most Prolific Authors

Table 7: 10 Leading Authors in Mental Health Nursing Research in Indonesia


Authors

Country of Affiliation

Affiliated Institution

Total Number of Published Articles

Total Number of Citations

Percentage (%)

Budi Anna Keliat

Indonesia

University of Indonesia

25

119

17.48

Herni Susanti

Indonesia

University of Indonesia

18

70

12.59

Marthoenis

Indonesia

University of Syiah Kuala

17

106

11.89

Ah Yusuf

Indonesia

Airlangga University

16

158

11.19

Helen Brooks

England

University of Manchester

14

118

9.79

Rizky Fitryasari

Indonesia

Airlangga University

12

111

8.39

Ice Yulia Wardani

Indonesia

University of Indonesia

12

64

8.39

Karina Lovell

England

University of Manchester

11

108

7.69

Penny Bee

England

University of Manchester

9

66

6.29

Achir Yani S. Hamid

Indonesia

University of Indonesia

9

24

6.29

Table 7 lists the authors with the highest publication output on mental health nursing in Indonesia as indexed in WoS. Among these scholars, Ah Yusuf emerges as the most frequently cited, with 158 citations across 15 publications.

Collaborations among Authors

Figure 3 depicts the co-authorship network involving 100 authors, selected from a total of 1,121 based on their collaboration links. Using VOSviewer, eight distinct clusters of authors were identified. The three researchers with the strongest collaborative ties were Helen Brooks (total link strength = 74), Karina Lovell (total link strength = 60), and Mengmeng Li (total link strength = 51).


image

Figure 3: Co-authorship Network of the Top 100 Authors Based on Collaboration Strength

Most Prolific Countries

Among the 60 countries identified as contributing to this study, Indonesia accounted for the largest share of research output (95.80%) overall (Figure 4). Notably, several countries from Europe and the Americas have also shown growing interest in mental health nursing research in Indonesia, including Australia (11.29%), England (10.32%), and the United States (10.32%).


image

Figure 4: Scientific Production by Country

Collaboration between Countries

International research collaborations were mapped using VOSviewer based on co-authorship data (Figure 5). Indonesia exhibited the highest number of connections with other countries (total link strength = 301), followed by Australia (161) and the United States (151). The co- authorship network across countries revealed four distinct clusters. The largest cluster included Indonesia, Australia, England, Taiwan, and the United States. The strongest bilateral collaborations were observed between Indonesia–Australia (link strength = 33), Indonesia– England (30), Indonesia–Taiwan (30), and Indonesia–United States (29).


image

Figure 5: Collaboration Networks among Countries Contributing to Research on Mental Health Nursing in Indonesia

Keywords

Co-occurring keywords in studies on mental health nursing in Indonesia were mapped using VOSviewer (Figure 6). Five distinct keyword clusters were identified. The first cluster (red) included terms such as schizophrenia, barriers, mental illness, people, recovery, resilience, and stigma. The second cluster (green) comprised mental health, nurses, adolescents, bullying, gender, students, and COVID-19. The third cluster (blue) encompassed depression, nurse, prevalence, quality of life, self-esteem, and stress. The fourth cluster included anxiety, nursing, social support, and symptoms. The fifth cluster consisted of Indonesia, mental disorder, and children.

The ten most frequently co-occurring keywords were Indonesia (link strength = 274), depression (228), mental health (167), anxiety (151), people (128), prevalence (127), schizophrenia (114), mental-health (108), stress (107), stigma (95), and COVID-19 (92).

image

Figure 6: Keyword Co-occurrence Clusters in Mental Health Nursing Research in Indonesia

Five clusters are represented in different colors: (a) network visualization and (b) density visualization.

DISCUSSION

The findings of this bibliometric study indicate that the field of mental health nursing in Indonesia has experienced steady yet uneven development. This trajectory has been shaped by broader structural dynamics, policy reforms, and global health developments. The increase in publication output over the past two decades reflects not only rising academic productivity but also the maturation of a research community responding to evolving national priorities and external pressures. This upward trend is closely linked to the national momentum following the implementation of the Mental Health Act No. 18 of 2014, which enhanced the visibility of mental health issues, strengthened the regulatory framework, and encouraged academic institutions to develop research agendas related to mental health (Bikker et al., 2021). These policy shifts created a more supportive environment for the advancement of mental health nursing research across various academic centers (Eweida et al., 2025). Moreover, the sharp rise in publications during the COVID-19 period illustrates how a crisis can accelerate scholarly engagement, particularly in fields where evidence gaps have long existed.

One of the key findings from the thematic mapping is the persistent concentration of Indonesian research on the psychosocial dimensions of mental health, particularly patient experiences, nurse well-being, family involvement, and community dynamics. This pattern reinforces enduring systemic and cultural realities. Indonesia’s mental health system relies heavily on the role of families and community health workers, with limited access to formal psychiatric services in many regions (Tasijawa & Yusuf, 2025; Yosep et al., 2021). The prominence of topics such as interpersonal stigma, emotional distress, and coping mechanisms reflects the practical issues nurses encounter daily in both clinical and community settings. This research focus demonstrates how mental health nursing scholars respond to service gaps and the need for contextually appropriate, culturally relevant care approaches. However, this emphasis contrasts with international trends that focus more on digital mental health innovations, advanced nursing roles, and policy-driven models of care (Dornan, 2025; Wu et al., 2023).

The absence of these themes in Indonesian publications highlights a developmental gap that represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Mental health nursing research in Indonesia remains closely tied to foundational psychosocial issues; however, to align with global innovations, it is necessary to expand research toward system-level interventions, technology- based services, and nurse-led policy initiatives. Such diversification would not only harmonize Indonesia with international advancements but also support the modernization of national mental health services in line with ongoing health system reforms.

The institutional dynamics observed in this analysis provide additional important insights. The concentration of research output within a small number of universities reflects disparities in research infrastructure, funding availability, and mentorship capacity across regions. While these leading institutions function as centers of scientific productivity, this geographic imbalance raises concerns about the representativeness and inclusivity of knowledge production. Strengthening research ecosystems in institutions across central and eastern Indonesia, along with expanding mentorship networks, will be essential for developing a more equitable body of knowledge that reflects national realities. Similarly, international collaboration patterns remain dominated by major Indonesian universities. Partnerships with foreign institutions have contributed to the recent rise in citations, highlighting the importance of expanding global collaborations and strengthening Indonesia’s academic presence in international mental health research networks (Eweida et al., 2025).

Overall, the findings of this bibliometric analysis reveal that the field of mental health nursing in Indonesia is undergoing a transitional phase. This phase is marked by increasing visibility, expanding collaboration, and growing recognition of the essential role of mental health nursing within the Indonesian health system. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain. Reducing regional disparities, supporting early-career researchers, enhancing methodological rigor, and aligning national research priorities with global innovations are critical next steps. By addressing these challenges, mental health nursing research in Indonesia can continue to progress, generating greater domestic impact in shaping the future of mental health care and contributing more substantially to global scientific knowledge through culturally grounded and internationally recognized research.

Limitations

This study relied solely on the Web of Science Core Collection, which may have excluded relevant publications indexed in Scopus, PubMed, or Indonesian national journals (SINTA). Dependence on a single database may limit the representativeness of the findings, as publications available in other databases were not captured. Therefore, the generalizability of these results should be interpreted with caution, since the dataset may not fully reflect the breadth of mental health nursing research in Indonesia or its global visibility. Only English- language publications were considered, which may underrepresent important locally relevant studies published in Bahasa Indonesia. Third, the deliberate exclusion of review articles, conference proceedings, and grey literature, while intended to ensure methodological consistency, may have omitted influential sources beyond traditional journal articles. Finally, bibliometric analysis primarily captures quantitative patterns of knowledge production and collaboration, without directly assessing the quality of the research or its clinical impact.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study reveal several important implications for advancing mental health nursing in Indonesia. In the area of education, there is an urgent need to incorporate recovery- oriented perspectives, strengthen digital literacy, and build telepsychiatry competencies to align with global developments. Equitable research capacity-building is also essential, particularly for the underrepresented eastern regions. In clinical practice, the strong concentration of research on depression, anxiety, stigma, and resilience highlights the need for contextually adaptable guidelines and interventions. Mental health nurses should be empowered to take leadership roles in community-based initiatives and apply task-shifting strategies, especially in resource-constrained settings. At the same time, supporting nurses’ psychological well-being through organizational initiatives – such as mindfulness programs, peer support, and resilience training – remains critical for sustaining workforce performance.

At the policy level, strengthening research infrastructure and ensuring fair resource distribution are key to reducing regional disparities and enhancing Indonesia’s global contribution to mental health nursing. A national framework is needed to connect research evidence with practice guidelines and community-based care models. Policies should also encourage international collaboration, integrate digital innovation, address stigma reduction, and foster a more responsive and sustainable mental health system.

Over the past two decades, mental health nursing research in Indonesia has grown significantly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a predominant focus on psychosocial issues. Despite this progress, challenges such as regional inequality in research capacity, limited study designs, and a narrow thematic range persist. Future research should expand its data sources, employ thematic modeling and trend analysis, and explore emerging areas such as digital psychiatry, integrative care, and nurse-led policy initiatives. Combining bibliometric analysis with systematic reviews or meta-analyses may further strengthen understanding of how evidence informs practice and policy.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the publication of this study.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors are thankful to the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan – LPDP) for providing financial support for this research.

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