A CiteSpace-Based Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Swimming for Individuals with Disabilities

Numerous studies have addressed swimming in the context of individual disabilities, yet few have thoroughly explored and analyzed the extensive body of scientific literature on this topic. This study aims to evaluate the scientific output and research activity related to swimming for individuals with disabilities through a bibliometric and visual analysis. Relevant publications from 1991 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Both quantitative and qualitative variables were examined, including the number of publications, keyword co-occurrence, and keyword cluster. A total of 391 publications were identified, with an increasing annual publication trend. Keywords such as “children,” “performance,” and “physical activity” have collectively shaped research trajectories in this field over the past three decades. The research frontier in swimming for individuals with disabilities can be broadly categorized into three stages: nascent development, active exploration, and deepening advancement. Predominantly, research efforts have focused on examining the effects of swimming on the physical and mental well-being of individuals with disabilities.