Trends in research related to anxiety disorders on the autism spectrum: a bibliometric study

Abstract

Anxiety disorder is listed as one of the most common diagnoses for people on the autism spectrum, however to date no bibliometric analysis has been conducted on this literature. This study aimed to analyze, from a bibliometric perspective, the production of scientific research published in Web of Science related to anxiety in the autism spectrum. Since 2013, research has grown exponentially and the most important field turned out to be developmental psychology. The main articles in the field address issues related to parenting, mental health and psychiatric comorbidity. Storch EA, USA, Kings College London (UK), Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, were respectively, the most productive author, country, institution and journal in the field. Keyword analysis revealed a close relationship between autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and depression, making this a novel research field with interdisciplinary practical implications.

Keywords:

• anxiety
• autism
• ASD
• mental health
• neurodevelopmental disorders
• comorbidity
• bibliometric analysis
• leading authors and journals

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data generated or analyzed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.