Global Research Trends in Family and Marriage Studies (2000–2025): A Bibliometric Visualization Analysis Utilizing CiteSpace

This study provides a systematic examination of global research trends and developments in the field of family and marriage over a twenty-five-year period (2000–2025). Employing a hybrid review design, the research integrates bibliometric analysis with PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor and transparency. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science, where an initial pool of 97,171 records was refined to 2974 eligible publications through a structured screening and inclusion process. The reduction to 2974 publications was the result of structure bibliometrics using CiteSpace, which employs algorithmic thresholds to identify the most structurally significant publications within a large corpus. Utilizing CiteSpace (version 6.4.R1), this analysis maps the intellectual structure and evolution of the field. By synthesizing co-citation, co-authorship, institutional, and keyword co-occurrence data, this study identifies critical collaboration networks, influential contributors, and dominant thematic domains. The findings reveal prominent research clusters, including premarital cohabitation, partner effects, family structure transitions, marital discord, systemic family functioning, and marriage education. Key contributors identified include influential scholars such as Catherine Walker O’Neal, Birditt, Kira S, Higginbotham Brian J, Beach Steven R. H., and Matthew D. Johnson. Leading institutions are the University System of Ohio, the University of California System, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE), Pennsylvania State University, and Pennsylvania State University–University Park. At the country level, the United States, Canada, England, Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium emerge as the most significant contributors. The findings offer a comprehensive synthesis of authorship trends, institutional influence, and shifting research trajectories within the field of family and marriage studies.