The state of the art on European well-being research within the area of mental health

As part of A Roadmap for Mental Health Research in Europe project, the aim of the present study was to perform a systematic mapping of the main publications in peer-reviewed journals for well-being research within the area of mental health or mental disorders in Europe. The PubMed and PsycINFO databases were used to identify papers on well-being within the area of mental health and mental disorders published from January 2007 to September 2014. Mean 5-year impact factors were obtained. The number of publications for each country was analysed by population size and gross domestic product (GDP). A total of 4,423 unique publications were identified. The number of publications increased for the analysed time period. France and the Netherlands had the highest 5-year mean impact factor. Publications per capita were higher in the Nordic countries, Ireland and the Netherlands. After adjusting for GPD, the most productive countries were the Nordic countries and the Netherlands. There is a marked variation in well-being publications by country in Europe. Eastern European countries produce little research taking into consideration the levels of resources available. Research on older adults was underrepresented and should be prioritised.