A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF HOW FINANCIAL BEHAVIOUR DRIVES EFFECTIVE DEBT MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The growing complexity of personal financial environments has intensified the importance of understanding how financial behaviour influences effective debt management. Despite increasing attention, the literature remains fragmented, with limited synthesis of the field’s intellectual foundations and the progression of emerging research trajectories. To bridge this deficiency, this bibliometric analysis embarks on the development, key themes, and collaborative patterns in research on the role of financial behaviour in effective debt management. Data was systematically extracted from the Scopus database based on three core keywords: “personal debt management”, “financial behaviour”, and “effective measures”. A total of 136 peer-reviewed documents were identified and analyzed using the VOSviewer alongside Scopus Analyzer. The findings demonstrate an increase in publication output, particularly after 2015, indicating growing academic interest in behavioural aspects of financial decision-making. Keyword co-occurrence analysis reveals thematic concentrations around financial literacy, personal finance, and debt, alongside emerging topics including financial stress, sustainability, and digital financial practices. Additionally, co-authorship network analysis identifies the United Kingdom and the United States as principal contributors, underscoring high levels of scholarly output and robust patterns of international research collaboration. These findings underscore the multidisciplinaries, integrating insights from economics, psychology, and finance. The study concludes that financial behaviour holds a central and decisive influence in the formation of efficient debt management strategies, alongside increasing emphasis on behavioural interventions and financial education. This bibliometric evidence provides a foundation upon which subsequent research and policy formulation can be developed, with the aim of strengthening financial well-being while reducing debt-related vulnerabilities.