Emerging Research Trends and Thematic Structure of Post-Pandemic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) A Bibliometric and BERTopic Based Topic Modeling Analysis

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains a central concern in psychiatry because of its significant heterogeneity and complex comorbidity patterns, which complicate both diagnosis and treatment. This study employs bibliometric analysis of literature from the Web of Science (WoS) database, identifying 26 Highly Cited Papers as core references for detailed examination. The aim is to map the thematic structure and evolving research trends within PTSD scholarship. Application of the BERTopic model to construct topic distributions revealed three primary research foci. The first group, Topics 0, 1, and 4, addresses emergency psychological responses during the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19, 0.084), with a particular focus on prevalence rates and mental health outcomes among student populations. The second, Topic 2, examines diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, emphasizing the interactive effects of genetic factors (genetic, 0.060), environmental influences (environmental, 0.041), and alexithymia (0.037). The third, Topic 3, investigates alcohol use (0.145) and substance use, highlighting the comorbidity challenges between PTSD and substance use disorders (SUDs). These findings indicate that future research and clinical practice should prioritize risk stratification and integrative treatment strategies based on gene–environment interaction (G×E) models to more effectively address the complex demands of the post-pandemic era.