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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Pain Research & Management

Research Landscape of Chronic Pain and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (1983–2025): A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis

  • Xingpu Quan1
  • Xinrui Fu2
  • Tao Lu1
  • Jiandong Lai3
  • Jingling Qiang4,5
  • Xin Chen2
  • Siyuan Chen1
  • Ruiting Zhu1,6
  • Ming Zhang1
  • Xuan Niu1
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Medical Imaging The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University Xi’an China xjtu.edu.cn
  2. 2Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center Xi’an China xjtu.edu.cn
  3. 3Medical Imaging Center Ankang Central Hospital Ankang China akzxyy.com
  4. 4School of Life Science and Technology Xi’an Jiaotong University Xi’an China xjtu.edu.cn
  5. 5Department of Neurosurgery Yan’an University Affiliated Hospital Yan’an China yauhosp.com/
  6. 6School of Future Technology Xi’an Jiaotong University Xi’an China xjtu.edu.cn
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Abstract

Objectives: Chronic pain affects a substantial proportion of the global adult population and is closely associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, which may further worsen pain outcomes and increase mortality risk. However, development trends and research hotspots in this field remain insufficiently clarified. This study aimed to provide a macroscopic overview of research on the relationship between chronic pain and neuropsychiatric symptoms and to identify future directions for research and clinical practice, with particular attention to interdisciplinary collaboration and personalized treatment strategies.

Methods: A total of 3627 publications between 1983 and 2025 were included in the final analysis. Bibliometric analyses and visualizations were performed using the R‐based Bibliometrix package, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Microsoft Excel 2019.

Results: The number of publications in this field showed a steady upward trend, with rapid growth after 2017. Among contributing countries, the United States emerged as the most active contributor and demonstrated the strongest international collaboration. Leading institutions, including Harvard University; high‐impact journals, such as Neurology and Headache; and influential researchers, such as Lipton RB, made prominent contributions to the field. Keyword co‐occurrence, citation burst, and thematic evolution analyses indicated that “chronic pain,” “pain management,” “migraine,” “depression,” and “anxiety” remained central research themes, whereas “long COVID,” “mental health,” and “quality of life” may represent emerging future research directions.

Conclusion: Research in this field is increasingly shifting toward integrated pain management that incorporates neuropsychiatric and psychosocial dimensions. Future academic and clinical efforts should prioritize the development of individualized treatment frameworks to optimize patient outcomes and refine existing pain management protocols.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{quan2026research,
  title = {{Research Landscape of Chronic Pain and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (1983–2025): A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis}},
  author = {Xingpu Quan and Xinrui Fu and Tao Lu and Jiandong Lai and Jingling Qiang and Xin Chen and Siyuan Chen and Ruiting Zhu and Ming Zhang and Xuan Niu},
  journal = {Pain Research \& Management},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.1155/prm/8816098},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/prm/8816098},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Research Landscape of Chronic Pain and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (1983–2025): A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis
AU  - Xingpu Quan
AU  - Xinrui Fu
AU  - Tao Lu
AU  - Jiandong Lai
AU  - Jingling Qiang
AU  - Xin Chen
AU  - Siyuan Chen
AU  - Ruiting Zhu
AU  - Ming Zhang
AU  - Xuan Niu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/01
JO  - Pain Research & Management
DO  - 10.1155/prm/8816098
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1155/prm/8816098
AB  - Objectives: Chronic pain affects a substantial proportion of the global adult population and is closely associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, which may further worsen pain outcomes and increase mortality risk. However, development trends and research hotspots in this field remain insufficiently clarified. This study aimed to provide a macroscopic overview of research on the relationship between chronic pain and neuropsychiatric symptoms and to identify future directions for research and clinical practice, with particular attention to interdisciplinary collaboration and personalized treatment strategies.  Methods: A total of 3627 publications between 1983 and 2025 were included in the final analysis. Bibliometric analyses and visualizations were performed using the R‐based Bibliometrix package, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Microsoft Excel 2019.  Results: The number of publications in this field showed a steady upward trend, with rapid growth after 2017. Among contributing countries, the United States emerged as the most active contributor and demonstrated the strongest international collaboration. Leading institutions, including Harvard University; high‐impact journals, such as Neurology and Headache; and influential researchers, such as Lipton RB, made prominent contributions to the field. Keyword co‐occurrence, citation burst, and thematic evolution analyses indicated that “chronic pain,” “pain management,” “migraine,” “depression,” and “anxiety” remained central research themes, whereas “long COVID,” “mental health,” and “quality of life” may represent emerging future research directions.  Conclusion: Research in this field is increasingly shifting toward integrated pain management that incorporates neuropsychiatric and psychosocial dimensions. Future academic and clinical efforts should prioritize the development of individualized treatment frameworks to optimize patient outcomes and refine existing pain management protocols.
SN  - 1203-6765
SN  - 1918-1523
ER  -