Research Trends in Publications on Yoga and Meditation Interventions for Nurses’ Mental Well-Being and Work Productivity: A Bibliometric Analysis

Objective: To map publication trends and the thematic, geographical, and collaborative structure of research on yoga, meditation, and related contemplative practices among nurses.

Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database. The search combined terms relating to mental well-being, stress, burnout, quality of life, productivity, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, mind–body interventions, and nursing personnel, with publication years restricted to 2015–2024 and English-language records. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer to examine annual publication trends, leading journals and authors, geographical distribution, co-occurrence patterns, and collaboration networks. Screening and data extraction were conducted by the first author using predefined eligibility criteria, with multiple rounds of verification during data cleaning. The absence of independent dual-reviewer screening is acknowledged as a limitation.

Results: A total of 382 articles met the inclusion criteria and were published in 63 peer-reviewed journals from 46 countries. About 15% of the studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs); the rest were quasi-experimental, pre-experimental, reviews, and conceptual/theoretical papers. In 14 of these articles, the names of countries were not mentioned, although some authors were contacted by mail for this information; however, they declined to provide it. The primary result is a threefold increase in publications over the last 10 years across all study designs, with the major ones being controlled studies, RCTs, cross-sectional studies, and meta-analyses. Most publications originated from the United States ( n = 143), followed by China ( n = 23) and the United Kingdom ( n = 18). The findings also show that the USA has 16 times as many research publications as India. The top three authors were Kemper, K.J., Chesak, S.S., and Sawyer, A.T., and the top three journals were Holistic Nursing Practice ( n = 19), Journal of Holistic Nursing ( n = 19), followed by International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ( n = 13).

Conclusion: Research on nurses’ well-being and contemplative practices has grown substantially, with mindfulness and psychological well-being emerging as dominant themes. Geographical, collaborative, and thematic gaps indicate scope for broader and more integrated research within holistic nursing.