A Retrospective Study Analysing the Outcomes of Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep Disorders in Post-Chemotherapy Patients With Breast Cancer Based on Symptom-Targeted Supportive Psychological Nursing

Abstract

Background: To analyse the differences in supportive psychological nursing care received by patients with breast cancer during and after chemotherapy.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, selecting 152 patients with breast cancer who received standardised chemotherapy and completed follow up at our hospital between April 2022 and April 2025. Patients were divided into a supportive care group (n = 76) and a routine care group (n = 76) based on differences in supportive psychological nursing care in their medical records and nursing documentation. The levels of depression, anxiety, psychological distress and sleep quality after chemotherapy were then compared between the two groups.

Results: Depression and anxiety levels in the supportive care group were lower than those in the routine care group (p < 0.05). The psychological distress thermometer score and insomnia severity index scores in the supportive care group were significantly lower than those in the routine care group (p < 0.05). Analysis of disease coping strategies showed that patients in the supportive care group scored significantly higher on the coping dimension than those in the routine care group and lower on the avoidance and yielding dimensions (p < 0.05). 

Conclusions: Supportive psychological nursing care was associated with improved depression and anxiety in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy.