Global Research Trends in Social Competence and Adjustment in Children: A Bibliometric and Network Analysis Approach

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research on social competence and social adjustment in children published between 1980 and 2025. The dataset was systematically retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and analyzed using the Bibliometrix R-package within the RStudio environment to ensure methodological rigor and analytical consistency. The final dataset comprises 1,077 publications distributed across 531 scientific sources, including peer-reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings, and authored by 6,084 unique researchers. Authorship patterns reveal a highly collaborative research structure, with an average of 6.94 co-authors per document and an international collaboration rate of 31.1%, indicating a strongly globalized and networked research field. The average document age of 3.86 years reflects the contemporary and dynamic nature of the literature, while the field demonstrates a steady expansion with an annual growth rate of 7.59%. In terms of document typology, research articles (n = 698) constitute the dominant publication format, followed by reviews (n = 154) and proceedings papers (n = 150), alongside smaller numbers of book chapters, editorial materials, and other document types. Overall, this bibliometric mapping offers an integrative overview of the intellectual structure, collaboration patterns, and publication dynamics of research on children’s social competence and social adjustment, providing a robust foundation for identifying emerging trends and guiding future research directions in the field.