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March 4, 2026Open Access

A scientometric review of religiosity, spirituality, and well-being in elderly populations

Key Points

The study aims to map the knowledge base on religiosity, spirituality, and well-being among older adults while highlighting key themes and gaps in research.
Retrieved 577 journal articles from the Web of Science Core Collection (1992-2023)
Conducted descriptive performance analysis on publication trends
Performed co-citation network analysis and thematic clustering using CiteSpace
Literature shows sustained growth, especially in the last decade
Key themes include mental health, quality of life, and religious coping
Less focus on spirituality in public health and long-term impacts on well-being trajectories

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Research on the relationships between religiosity, spirituality, and elderly well-being has grown rapidly, yet its intellectual structure and thematic evolution remain fragmented across disciplines. This study maps the knowledge base on religiosity/spirituality and well-being among older adults, identifies influential contributors and themes, and highlights gaps to guide future scholarship. Methodology: We retrieved 577 English-language journal articles published from 1992 to 2023 from the Web of Science Core Collection using topic searches combining religiosity/spirituality, well-being, and elderly-related terms. We conducted descriptive performance analysis (publication trends and leading journals, countries, and institutions) and used CiteSpace to run co-citation network analysis and thematic clustering. Findings: The literature shows sustained growth, with the steepest rise in the last decade. Key clusters emphasize mental health and quality-of-life outcomes, religious/spiritual coping, social support, and care settings. Less-developed fronts include spirituality-informed public health and social policy, as well as longitudinal evidence on how religiosity and spirituality shape well-being trajectories in later life. Contributions: This scientometric study consolidates a dispersed field by visualizing its core structure and emerging fronts, and proposes a forward agenda that is more interdisciplinary, policy-relevant, and longitudinal. Keywords: Aging population, co-citation analysis, elderly well-being, mental health, religiosity, scientometric analysis, spirituality. Cite as: Abd Aziz, N. N., & Mohd Noor, M. I. (2026). A scientometric review of religiosity, spirituality, and well-being in elderly populations. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 11(1), 99-115. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol11iss1pp99-115

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