Scholarly Publication Productivity of Bibliotherapy Literature in Africa: A Bibliometric Analysis

Bibliotherapy involves an interaction between readers and literature guided by librarians or through self-guidance. It serves as an adjunct therapy for stress relief. It proves valuable in offender rehabilitation and for individuals experiencing depression. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of the publication trends of bibliotherapy literature in Africa. The data used in this study were obtained from the Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases and subsequently stored in tabular format for subsequent analysis. The findings indicated that bibliotherapy is more widely recognized and published globally, in contrast to its limited productivity within the African context. The study recommends promoting awareness regarding bibliotherapy as a therapeutic adjunct within the African continent. Librarians can help spread the message through the use of media outlets, including campaigns, radio broadcasts, and television interviews, as well as collaborations with educational systems, healthcare organizations, churches and libraries to ensure that communities are familiar with the concept of “bibliotherapy.”