Methodologic preferences and content of psychiatric research in an international comparison

Empirical publications from six psychiatric journals and five countries have been investigated for differences in methodical approaches and concerning the subjects of the articles. The differences between the branches of psychiatry and neurology within the journals are more discernible both with research subjects and with methodical aspects than the differences between the journals from different countries. Some differences between psychiatric journals from different countries, relating to the subjects of research, were found in the independent variables, the dependent variables and the kinds of subjects in the samples. Countries also differ significantly in two methodical aspects: sample sizes investigated and instruments used.