Comparison of psychotherapy literature increase in China and abroad

    XU Changª²Tai, WANG Jiaª²Tong, MIAO Danª²Min, OUYANG Lun

    Department of Psychology, School of Aerospace Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi¬ðan 710033, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To analyze and compare the increase of the psychotherapy literatures in China and abroad and the major influence factors. METHODS: By using psychotherapy and all subheadings (psychotherapy, behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and psychoanalytic therapy and Morita therapy), psychotherapy literatures from 1990 to 2003 were searched in Medline. Regression equation was conducted to analyze the increase of psychotherapy literatures from 1990 to 2002 in Medline and CBMdisc in China and abroad, as well as in related Chinese journals, and the major influencing factors were explored. RESULTS: Excluding Morita therapy abroad and psychoanalytic therapy in China, the cumulating literatures for psychotherapy, behavior and cognitive therapy displayed an increasing tendency and their scatterplot was close to linear regression equation (Y=a+bX). Literatures of the psychoanalytic therapy abroad showed a decreasing tendency, while the cumulating literatures of psychotherapy, behavior, cognitive and Morita therapy in China showed an increasing one, and the scatterplot was close to exponential equation (Y=aebX). The literature language was English in most psychotherapy papers (84.63%). The psychotherapy theses in China were mainly published in statistical inclusion or core journals on psychology, psyche and behavior (20.10%). Using SPSS 10.0, the regression equation of psychotherapy literatures in Medline and CBMdisc from 1990 to 2002 revealed that the psychotherapy literatures abroad increased progressively, but the literatures of psychoanalytic therapy decreased by degrees. Psychotherapy theses, except those of psychoanalysis, increased markedly in China. CONCLUSION: The psychotherapy literatures are increasing progressively, indicating that the research on psychotherapy is a hot spot. The development of psychotherapy itself is a main influencing factor for the literature increase in this field abroad and more attention given to psychotherapy is a main influencing factor for the literature increase in this field in China. ......