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EXPLORING THE CURRENT STATE OF HEALTH IMPACT ANALYSIS IN TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS: A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Submitted: 2026-01-07; Published: 2026-01-06
CC BY-NC 4.0 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Abstract

This study explores the current state of health impact analysis in toxic relationships, focusing on a bibliometric review
of scholarly research. A comprehensive review was conducted using tools such as VOSviewer, Biblioshiny (Rpackage), and Publish or Perish, analyzing data from the Scopus database. A total of 622 journal articles published
between 1985 and 2025 were systematically reviewed, showing a steady increase in annual publications, particularly
in the last decade. The analysis reveals that the study of toxic relationships and their health impacts has become a
significant area of research, with key themes such as intimate partner violence, mental health, stress, and trauma
consistently emerging in the literature. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are the leading countries
contributing to this research, with major institutions like Johns Hopkins University and the University of California
significantly driving the scholarly output. Prominent journals, including the Journal of Interpersonal Violence and
Violence Against Women, have had a major impact on the field. Additionally, the study highlights the critical role of
mental health policies and support systems in mitigating the effects of toxic relationships, emphasizing the need for
accessible interventions and support for affected individuals. Despite the expanding literature, gaps remain in
addressing intersectional health issues related to marginalized populations. The findings suggest that future research
should focus on comprehensive interventions, social factors, and the long-term mental and physical health
consequences of toxic relationships, offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of health impact research in
toxic relationships.

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