title: Citation analysis of meta-analysis articles on posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the past two decades enormously scientific researches on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been undertaken and many related meta-analyses have been published. Citation analysis was used to get comprehensive perspectives of meta-analysis articles (MA articles) on PTSD for the purpose of facilitating the researchers, physicians and policy-makers to understand the PTSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  MA articles on PTSD in any languages from January 1980 to March 2009 were included if they presented meta-analytical methods and received at least one citation recorded in the Web of Science (WoS). Whereas studies, in which any effect sizes of PTSD were not distinguished from other psychological disorders, were excluded. Citations to and by identified MA articles were documented basing on records in WoS. Citation analysis was used to examine distribution patterns of characteristics and citation impact of MA articles on PTSD. Canonical analysis was used to explore the relationship between the characteristics of MA articles and citation impact.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-four MA articles published during 1998 and 2008 were identified and revealed multiple study topics on PTSD: 10 (29.4%) were about epidemiology, 13 (38.2%) about treatment or intervention, 6 (17.6%) about pathophysiology or neurophysiology or neuroendocrine, 3 (8.8%) about childhood and 2 (5.9%) about psychosocial adversity. Two articles cited most frequently with 456 and 145 counts were published in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology by Brewin (2000) and Psychological Bulletin by Ozer (2003), respectively. Mean cited count was 7.48 ± 10.56 and mean age (year 2009 minus article publication year) was (4.24 ± 2.91) years. They had been cited approximately by 67 disciplines and by authors from 42 countries or territories. Characteristics of meta-analysis highly correlated with citation impact and reflected by canonical correlation of 0.899 (P < 0.000 01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The age of MA articles predicted their citation impact. Citation analysis would serve to capture the global perspectives and topics of MA articles on PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Ping-Yan
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D006801:Humans; D011642:Publications / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic