Open Access Article

Title: Mapping the nexus: a bibliometric review of psychological distress and leadership research

Authors: Saleh Bajaba; Noha Abdullah Alajhar

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80201, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80201, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Psychological distress in organisational settings is underexplored in leadership research and lacks a cohesive theoretical foundation. Leaders critically influence employee well-being, necessitating deeper insight into workplace factors that contribute to psychological distress. This study addresses this gap by examining the historical roots and evolution of psychological distress in leadership contexts. We conducted a systematic bibliometric review of 294 peer-reviewed articles published from 1992 to 2024 across 156 journals in the Web of Science Core Collection, analysing 17,340 citations to identify influential contributions, citation networks, and research themes. Citation analysis highlights key authors and keywords. Bibliographic coupling reveals four thematic clusters: 1) the bright side of leadership and positive workplace outcomes; 2) the dark side of leadership and workplace stressors; 3) the work environment and mental health; 4) personal development and well-being. This review clarifies research trends, intellectual foundations, and thematic structures, providing directions for future studies in this vital area.

Keywords: psychological distress; leadership; bibliometric analysis; network analysis; co-citation analysis; Web of Science; VOSviewer.

DOI: 10.1504/JBM.2026.157001

Journal of Business and Management, 2026 Vol.31 No.1, pp.1 - 34

Received: 24 Aug 2025
Accepted: 29 Jul 2026
Published online: 14 Oct 2026 *

 

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