The aim of our study is to investigate the social and electronic media attention received by psychiatry research using the Altmetric attention scores (AAS) and the predictors of this public engagement. We analyzed all research articles published in 2016 in the top 5 impact factor-based psychiatry journals. We extracted the AAS, various media (news, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) engagements, and citations received by each article using online database. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis was performed. A total of 360 research articles published in JAMA Psychiatry, The Lancet Psychiatry, World Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics were included. The median AAS was 44 [IQR = 15 - 146] and median citations were 26 (14-47) with a significant but weak correlation (rs = 0.43; p = 0.001) between the two metrics. The multivariate model found that the significant predictors of an 'article's higher AAS were its journal of publication, article type, and the topics addressed in the article (impact of lifestyle on mental well-being, suicide, and addiction). In conclusion, we found a very high degree of public engagement with psychiatry research, especially when compared to other medical specialties. This highlights great opportunity as well as responsibility for psychiatry research community.
Keywords: AAS; Addiction; Altmetric; Electronic media; News media; Social media; Suicide.
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