Effect of Psychosomatic Symptom Intervention on Psychosomatic Symptoms During Initial Treatment in Patients With...

There is increasing evidence suggesting that patients with thyroid cancer may experience prolonged anxiety and depression postsurgery, which could potentially impact their treatment outcomes adversely.

To investigate the impact of a psychosomatic symptom intervention program on the psychological and physical health of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

Eighty-four patients with DTC were recruited from one cancer hospital and were randomly assigned to either the experimental (n = 42) or control group (n = 42). The intervention group received a 12-week psychosomatic symptom intervention. Anxiety and depression, thyroid-stimulating hormone attainment rate, self-management efficacy, and shoulder joint function were evaluated before intervention, after intervention, and during follow-up.

The generalized estimating equation showed that the intervention group had significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression at T1 and T2 compared with the control group (P < .001). The time, group, and interaction effects were significant (P < .001). The thyroid-stimulating hormone target rate in the intervention group (59.5%) was higher than that in the control group (26.2%) (P = .008). There were significant differences in self-management efficacy and shoulder joint function between the 2 groups (P < .001).

These findings hold significant implications for the psychological and physical symptoms of DTC patients. It suggests that early interventions can expedite patient recovery during the initial treatment phase.

During the initial treatment phase, nurses can implement interventions targeting psychological and physical symptoms in DTC patients, aimed at facilitating postoperative self-care and promoting expeditious recovery of overall health.