Clinical Trials Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Aug 19, 2025; 15(8): 106019
Published online Aug 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i8.106019
Effect tongue pressure feedback training with enabling education on swallowing and depression in head and neck tumor patients
Jia-Mei Wang, Tai-Shan Tong
Jia-Mei Wang, Department of Head, Neck, and Chest Radiotherapy, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, Jiangsu Province, China
Tai-Shan Tong, Department of Medical Psychology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Wang JM designed the study; Wang JM, Tong TS were involved in the data collection and writing of this article. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University.
Clinical trial registration statement: The study was registered at the Clinical Trial Center (www.researchregistry.com) with registration number: Researchregistry 11267.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors of this manuscript having no conflicts of interest to disclose.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 statement.
Data sharing statement: There is no additional data available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jia-Mei Wang, PhD, Department of Head, Neck, and Chest Radiotherapy, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, No. 1000 Hefeng Road, Wuxi 214000, Jiangsu Province, China. wjm13914132387@163.com
Received: May 9, 2025
Revised: June 9, 2025
Accepted: June 25, 2025
Published online: August 19, 2025
Processing time: 90 Days and 18.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Patients with head and neck cancer often develop depressive symptoms during radiochemotherapy due to changes in saliva secretion, radiation-induced oral mucositis, and dysphagia. These symptoms significantly affect quality of life. Although existing nursing interventions provide some relief, they have limitations in improving swallowing function and developing coping strategies.

AIM

To evaluate the effectiveness of tongue pressure resistance feedback training combined with empowerment education in improving depressive symptoms and swallowing function in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiochemotherapy.

METHODS

This study included 110 patients with head and neck cancer who exhibited depressive symptoms and underwent radiochemotherapy at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University between January 2021 and December 2023. Patients were randomly assigned to either a reference group or an experimental group, each comprising 55 patients. The reference group received routine care, whereas the experimental group received tongue pressure resistance feedback training and empowerment education. After 6 weeks of continuous intervention, comparisons were made between the two groups regarding depressive symptom scores, swallowing function, coping strategies, and quality of life, both pre- and post-intervention.

RESULTS

Following the intervention, both groups demonstrated decreased scores for depressive symptoms and swallowing function, with the experimental group showing a significantly greater reduction than the reference group (P < 0.05). The experimental group also demonstrated higher confrontation scores and lower avoidance and submission scores for coping strategies than the reference group (P < 0.05). Quality of life scores improved in both groups after the intervention, with the experimental group showing markedly higher scores than the reference group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The combination of tongue pressure resistance feedback training and empowerment education is effective in alleviating depressive symptoms, enhancing swallowing function, optimizing coping strategies, and significantly improving the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiochemotherapy. This approach shows promise for clinical applications and promotion.

Keywords: Tongue pressure resistance feedback training; Empowerment education; Depression; Swallowing function; Head and neck cancer

Core Tip: Tongue pressure resistance feedback training in conjunction with empowerment education can significantly improve swallowing dysfunction and alleviate depressive mood in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy. It also optimizes coping strategies and enhances quality of life.