Global Research Landscape and Knowledge Evolution on Diabetes Burnout: A Bibliometric Analysis (2015 – September 2025)

Authors

  • Nian Afrian Nuari Doctoral of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Airlangga University, Surabaya
  • Mutmainnah
  • Efa Nur Aini

Keywords:

Diabetes, burnout, distress, bibliometric analysis, knowledge mapping, good health, well-being

Abstract

Diabetes burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion and disengagement from self-management, has emerged as a critical psychosocial issue among people with diabetes. Diabetes burnout differs from depression or diabetes distress. Diabetes burnout is primarily marked by emotional exhaustion and disengagement from self-care behaviors. This study aims to systematically map the global research landscape on diabetes burnout and identify emerging research frontiers and knowledge structures within the field. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database, covering publications from January 2015 to September 2025. Bibliometric indicators, including publication trends, authorship patterns, co-citation networks, and keyword co-occurrences, were analyzed using VOSviewer. Thematic evolution and knowledge clusters were further explored to trace conceptual development and interdisciplinary linkages. A total of 860 publications were identified, revealing a substantial increase in annual research output on diabetes burnout over the past decade. Three dominant clusters emerged from the analysis: the psychological and behavioral dimension (red cluster), the clinical and biomedical focus encompassing insulin, glycemic control, hemoglobin A1c, and blood glucose monitoring (green cluster), and the self-care and social support aspects (blue cluster). This bibliometric mapping highlights the multidisciplinary evolution of diabetes burnout research by analyzing key bibliometric indicators such as total link strength, citation metrics, and co-authorship networks. Emerging trends underscore the growing emphasis on digital health interventions, resilience-based programs, and community-driven approaches to mitigate diabetes burnout.

References

Abdoli, S., Hessler, D., Doosti-Irani, M., Chang, B. P., & Stuckey, H. (2021). The Value of Measuring Diabetes Burnout. In Current Diabetes Reports (Vol. 21, Issue 8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-021-01392-6

Abdoli, S., Hessler, D., Smither, B., Miller-Bains, K., Burr, E. M., & Stuckey, H. L. (2020). New insights into diabetes burnout and its distinction from diabetes distress and depressive symptoms: A qualitative study. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108446

Abdoli, S., Miller-Bains, K., Fanti, P., Silveira, M. S. V. M., & Hessler, D. (2021). Development and validation of a scale to measure diabetes burnout. Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology, 23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcte.2021.100251

Asadpour, E., & Veisi, S. (2018). The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Satisfaction, Sexual Self-Esteem and Burnout Martial among Women with Type 2 Diabetes. Journal of Arak University of Medical Sciences, 9(2).

Charman, D. (2000). Burnout and diabetes: Reflections from working with educators and patients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(200005)56:5<607::AID-JCLP3>3.0.CO;2-A

Cyranka, K., Klupa, T., Pilecki, M., Sarna-Palacz, D., Juryk, A., Storman, D., Dudek, D., Malecki, M. T., & Matejko, B. (2024). Diabetes distress and diabetes burnout explored in various areas of life in patients with type 1 diabetes: effect of short-term psychological intervention. Endocrine, 85(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-024-03760-0

Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070

Fisher, L., Polonsky, W. H., & Hessler, D. (2019). Addressing diabetes distress in clinical care: a practical guide. In Diabetic Medicine (Vol. 36, Issue 7). https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.13967

Holloway, E. E., Gray, S., Mihalopoulos, C., Versace, V. L., Le Gautier, R., Chatterton, M. Lou, Hagger, V., Halliday, J., Henshaw, K., Harrap, B., Manallack, S., Black, T., Van Bruggen, N., Hines, C., O’Neil, A., Skinner, T. C., Speight, J., & Hendrieckx, C. (2023). Low-Intensity mental health Support via a Telehealth Enabled Network for adults with diabetes (LISTEN): protocol for a hybrid type 1 effectiveness implementation trial. Trials, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-023-07338-5

Jafari, A., Tehrani, H., Naddafi, F., Nejatian, M., Khorshahi, A., & Gholian-Aval, M. (2025). Persian version of diabetes burnout scale among patients with type 2 diabetes: a validation study. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-025-01965-6

Juntunen, M. B., Liedl, C. P., Carlson, P. N., Myers, L. A., Stickler, Z. R., Ryan Schultz, J. A., Meilander, A. K., Behnken, E., Lampman, M. A., Rogerson, M. C., Fischer, K. M., & McCoy, R. G. (2022). Diabetes Rescue, Engagement and Management (D-REM): Rationale and design of a pragmatic clinical trial of a community paramedicine programme to improve diabetes care. BMJ Open, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057224

Karahan, T. F., & Yalçin, B. M. (2009). The effects of an emotional intelligence skills training program on anxiety, burnout and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, 29(1).

Kathryn E Nagel, T. D.-W. A. N. H. R. C. W. (2025). The association of environmental mastery and diabetes distress among young adults with type 1 diabetes. National Library of Medicine (NLM) – National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 42(7).

Kiriella, D. A., Islam, S., Oridota, O., Sohler, N., Dessenne, C., de Beaufort, C., Fagherazzi, G., & Aguayo, G. A. (2021). Unraveling the concepts of distress, burnout, and depression in type 1 diabetes: A scoping review. EClinicalMedicine, 40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101118

Krstović Spremo, V., Marić, S., & Kulić, L. (2022). Burnout syndrome and the quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Биомедицинска Истраживања, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.5937/bii2202177k

Macdonald, G. C., & Campbell, L. V. (2017). Psychosocial care for people with diabetes: A position statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes care 2016;39:2126-2140. In Diabetes Care (Vol. 40, Issue 9, pp. e129–e130). American Diabetes Association Inc. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc16-2718

Mezuk, B., Mannor, K. M., Hebert, R., Kouassi, L., Flores, B., Spring, E., & Rodríguez-Putnam, A. (2025). Psychological Care Needs and Mental Health Service Use Among Adults with Diabetes: Evidence from the Diabetes, Distress, and Disparities (3D) Study. Healthcare (Switzerland), 13(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13121427

Mirghani, H. O. (2024). Diabetes distress, the mediator of the poor glycemic control and depression: A meta-analysis. World Journal of Meta-Analysis, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.13105/wjma.v12.i4.97779

Nuari, N. A. (2018). Diabetes Burnout Syndrom With Self Care Agency Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Patient. Journal of Health Science and Prevention, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.29080/jhsp.v2i2.122

Nuari, N. A., Rahman, H. F., & Wahid, A. H. (2023). Reducing diabetes burnout syndrome using self-instructional training. International Journal of Public Health Science, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v12i3.22849

Polonsky, W. H., Fisher, L., Hessler, D., Desai, U., King, S. B., & Perez-Nieves, M. (2022). Toward a more comprehensive understanding of the emotional side of type 2 diabetes: A re-envisioning of the assessment of diabetes distress. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 36(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2021.108103

Riise, H. K. R., Haugstvedt, A., Igland, J., Graue, M., Søfteland, E., Hermann, M., Carlsson, S., Skinner, T. C., Åsvold, B. O., & Iversen, M. M. (2025). Diabetes distress and associated psychosocial factors in type 2 diabetes. A population-based cross-sectional study. The HUNT study, Norway. Diabetology and Metabolic Syndrome , 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-025-01631-w

Sayed Ahmed, H. A., Mohamed, S. F., Joudeh, A. I., Elotla, S. F., Mostafa, M., Shah, J., Fouad, A. M., & Abdelazim, S. A. (2025). Combined symptoms of diabetes distress, depression, and anxiety and their association with glycemic control in primary care patients with type 2 diabetes in Egypt. Diabetology International, 16(2), 326–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13340-025-00793-2

Schmitt, A., Kulzer, B., Ehrmann, D., Haak, T., & Hermanns, N. (2021). A Self-Report Measure of Diabetes Self-Management for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: The Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire-Revised (DSMQ-R) – Clinimetric Evidence From Five Studies. Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcdhc.2021.823046

Soliman, E. S., Naguib, R., Neimatallah, F., Alkhudhairy, N., Alghamdi, A., Alqahtani, R., Aldashash, K., Alkhalifah, B., & Alhakami, A. (2025). Diabetes-related distress among type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients in Saudi Arabia. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 31(6), 404–415. https://doi.org/10.26719/2025.31.6.404

Stenov, V., Due-Christensen, M., Christensen, J. N., Willaing, I., & Cleal, B. (2025). Discovering the hidden emotional burden: Systematic screening for diabetes distress in adults with type 1 diabetes in nurse-led routine diabetes care. Diabetic Medicine, 42(7). https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.70064

Tenreiro, K., & Hatipoglu, B. (2025). Mind Matters: Mental Health and Diabetes Management. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 110, S131–S136. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae607

Verma, M., Sidana, S., Kumar, P., Singh, O., Esht, V., Balasubramanian, K., Kapoor, N., Kakkar, R., & Kalra, S. (2025). Distress and coping mechanisms among people with diabetes: cross-sectional assessment from an NCD screening clinic of a tertiary care hospital in North India. Diabetology and Metabolic Syndrome , 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-025-01603-0

Downloads

Published

2026-01-01