A Research Trend Analysis of Mental Health Occupational Therapy Following the Revision of the Mental Health Promotion and Welfare Service Support Act for Persons with Mental Illness

Objective : This study aimed to analyze research trends in occupational therapy for mental health following the revision of the Act on the Improvement of Mental Health and the Support for Welfare Services for Patients with Mental Illness. Methods : The subjects of analysis were articles published in the Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy for Mental Health. Keywords extracted from these articles were analyzed as the primary data. The analysis covered literature published from May 2022 to November 2024, following the legislative revision period. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to examine the research trends, specifically focusing on network characteristics, centrality measures, and cohesive structures. The results were presented through tables and visual graphs. Results : A total of 23 articles and 53 unique keywords were included in the analysis, resulting in 77 connections with an average degree of 2.906 and a network density of .056. Betweenness centrality had an average score of .005, which was lower compared to degree centrality and eigenvector centrality. “Occupational therapy” demonstrated the highest degree centrality, “systematic review” showed the highest betweenness centrality, and “psychosocial therapy” had the highest eigenvector centrality. The cohesive structures formed seven distinct clusters, primarily including themes such as sensory integration, cognitive health, occupational practice, SNS use, self-concept, knowledge mapping, and occupational framework. Conclusion : Based on the revision of the Act on the Improvement of Mental Health and the Support for Welfare Services for Patients with Mental Illness, this study provides significant evidence demonstrating the establishment of occupational therapy for mental health as an independent professional domain within the healthcare system. Furthermore, this analysis offers valuable insights by evaluating current research capacities, identifying academically overlooked or underdeveloped areas, and guiding future research directions and thematic focuses.