A bibliometric analysis of combat stress during 1990–2024 from Web of Science database

The aims of this study were to explore the research hotspots and trends in combat stress worldwide. Using the Web of Science (WoS) as the literature source, we searched for papers published between 1990 and 2024 using combat stress-related terms combined with veteran-related terms. VOSviewer 1.6.17 and CiteSpace 6.2R6 software were employed to analyze the data. A bibliometric analysis was applied to assess the publications related to combat stress. In total, 5840 publications were retrieved. Analysis of the keywords indicated that memory, moral injury, military personnel, prazosin, secondary traumatization, traumatic brain injury, cardiovascular disease, high-density EEG, traumatic stress disorder, and milieu therapy were the main research hotspots in the field of combat stress. The burst detection indicated that the psychological coping mechanism of combat stress, particularly resilience, is a future research trend. These results can provide insight into the research progress regarding combat stress.