Randomized Controlled Trial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2025; 15(9): 107534
Published online Sep 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i9.107534
Impact of comprehensive psychological cognitive nursing on the quality of life of patients with chronic pain and depression
Yan Cheng, Jv-Ming Mao, Ying Zhang
Yan Cheng, Jv-Ming Mao, Ying Zhang, Department of Painology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215031, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Cheng Y guide the research; Mao JM designs research; Zhang Y conducts case collection; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Institutional review board statement: The research was reviewed and approved by The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University.
Clinical trial registration statement: This study has not yet been registered with clinical trials.
Informed consent statement: All research participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to study registration.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest is associated with this work.
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: No other 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: Ying Zhang, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of Painology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 899 Pinghai Road, Suzhou 215031, Jiangsu Province, China. zhangying202208@163.com
Received: April 22, 2025
Revised: May 28, 2025
Accepted: July 15, 2025
Published online: September 19, 2025
Processing time: 126 Days and 1.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Chronic pain and depression often coexist, severely affecting quality of life. Traditional treatments address these conditions separately, but comprehensive psychological cognitive nursing offers a holistic approach. By combining cognitive-behavioral strategies and psychological support, it helps improve coping mechanisms, reduce distress, and enhance overall well-being in affected patients.

AIM

To investigate the impact of comprehensive psychological cognitive nursing on the patients with chronic pain and depression.

METHODS

From October 2022 to October 2024, 171 patients with chronic pain and depression admitted to our hospital were randomly divided into two groups, with 85 patients in the control group and 86 patients in the observation group. The general data from both groups were compared. The control group received standard treatment. The observation group provided full psychological cognitive care in the same way as the control group did. The two groups of patients' psychological states, pain levels, quality of life, sleep quality, and nurse satisfaction were compared before to and during the intervention.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) score, self-rating depression scale (SDS) score, visual analog scale (VAS) score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score of the observation group significantly decreased after intervention, while the short-form 36 (SF-36) score significantly increased (P < 0.05). The SAS score decreased by 17.36%; SDS score decreased by 26.21%. The VAS scores decreased by 57.14%, 63.43%, and 69.86% at 12 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours, respectively. The SF-36 score indicators increased by 13.29%, 13.24%, 20.77%, and 19.41%, respectively; The PSQI score decreased by 54.66%. The observation group reported higher nurse satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Comprehensive psychological cognitive nursing interventions can significantly reduce patients' pain and depression symptoms while boosting their confidence in managing the illness.

Keywords: Comprehensive psychological cognitive nursing; Chronic pain; Depressive state; Quality of life; Depression

Core Tip: This study assessed comprehensive psychological cognitive nursing (CPCN) in 171 chronic pain-depression patients (2022-2024), randomized into control (n = 85, standard care) and observation (n = 86, CPCN) groups. Outcomes included psychological status [self-rating anxiety scale (SAS)/self-rating depression scale (SDS)], pain [visual analog scale (VAS)], quality of life [short-form 36 (SF-36)], sleep [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)], and satisfaction. Post-intervention, the observation group showed significantly lower SAS (43.2 vs 56.8), SDS (41.5 vs 58.1), VAS (3.1 vs 5.4), PSQI (6.2 vs 9.7), and higher SF-36 (78.3 vs 65.2) scores vs controls (all P < 0.05), with 92% satisfaction (vs 74%). CPCN effectively alleviates pain-depression symptoms and enhances disease management confidence, supporting its integration into routine care.