GLOBAL HOTSPOTS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION RESEARCH: A BIBLIOMETRIC PERSPECTIVE (2016–2024)

Introduction: Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common mood disorder in the perinatal period that has a serious impact on maternal and infant health, quality of care, and socio-economic burden. In the past decade, publications on PPD have increased sharply, covering aspects of prevalence, biopsychosocial risk factors, screening, and psychological and pharmacological interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic has also broadened the focus of research, especially on maternal vulnerability and technology-based interventions. This study uses a bibliometric approach to 6,893 international publications on PPD for the period 2016–2024. Method: Data is obtained from reputable bibliographic bases and normalized to standardize authors, institutions, countries, keywords, and citations. Analysis using Vosviewer, the analysis includes annual publication trends, authors and productive institutions, country distribution, dominant keywords, as well as the most cited articles. Result: Visualization is carried out with density, overlay, and network mapping to identify hotspots and research frontiers. The number of publications has increased rapidly since 2020, reflecting the academic response to the pandemic as well as the global maternal mental health agenda. The United States dominates scientific production, with the University of California as the center of collaboration. The figure of Samantha E. Meltzer-Brody emerged as a key author pushing the clinical agenda. Keyword analysis showed hotspots such as anxiety, cesarean section, risk factors, female, and pregnant woman. Overlay visualization highlights the shift from classic themes (psychology, obstetrics) to new frontiers such as digital health, social media, screening, and mental health services. Network visualization revealed four main research clusters: psychological aspects, obstetric complications, maternal services, and biological biomarkers. Conclusion: Global PPD research 2016–2024 shows substantial growth with new directions in digital interventions, universal screening, and biomarkers. It is necessary to develop point-of-care-based prediction models, test the effectiveness of digital interventions, cultural adaptation, and cross-border collaboration. For Indonesia, the establishment of a national research consortium, the integration of PPD screening into antenatal-postnatal services, and implementation funding are key strategies for maternal mental health to become a national priority.