Effect of positive emotion training and warm acupuncture on negative emotion and facial nerve in intractable facial paralysis

doi:10.5498/wjp.122105

Advanced Search

BPG is committed to discovery and dissemination of knowledge

Home / Archive / Volume 16, Issue 11

This Article

(7)

(0)

(218)

Peer-Review Report of This Article

CrossCheck and Google Search of This Article

Academic Rules and Norms of This Article

Citation of this article

Corresponding Author of This Article

Research Domain of This Article

Article-Type of This Article

Open-Access Policy of This Article

Times Cited Counts in Google of This Article

Journal Information of This Article

Publication Name

World Journal of Psychiatry

ISSN

2220-3206

Publisher of This Article

Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

Prospective Study

Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.

World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2026; 16(11): 122105
Published online Nov 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.122105

Effect of positive emotion training and warm acupuncture on negative emotion and facial nerve in intractable facial paralysis

Yi Tang, Bo Chen, Yu Jiang

Yi Tang, Department of Acupuncture, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guizhou Hospital (Guizhou Medical University Affiliated Hospital - Gui’an District), Guiyang 550031, Guizhou Province, China

Bo Chen, Acupuncture and Massage College, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China

Yu Jiang, Department of Acupuncture, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, China

Author contributions: Tang Y, Chen B and Jiang Y contributed to research design and data analysis; Tang Y was responsible for funding application, reviewing and editing, communication coordination, ethical review, copyright and licensing, and follow-up; Chen B and Jiang Y contributed to data collection and paper writing. All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.

AI contribution statement: The content of this manuscript was independently written by the authors. No AI generative tools were used for the creation of the content. During the writing process, only AI translation tools such as DeepL were used for language polishing and grammatical adjustments on the initial draft to improve the fluency of the English expression. All viewpoints, data, analyses, and conclusions in the manuscript were completed manually, and the authors assume full responsibility for the entire content.

Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82360976 and No. 81860882.

Institutional review board statement: The research was reviewed and approved by The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guizhou Hospital.

Clinical trial registration statement: This study is a single‑center, small‑sample, prospective observational study, not falling within the scope of interventional clinical trials. The study only conducted the observation and analysis of clinical data and did not involve the intervention of new drugs, new devices, or treatment plans. During the design and implementation of the study, in accordance with the nature of the study and relevant management requirements, no clinical trial registration was conducted.

Informed consent statement: All research participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to study registration.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

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.

Corresponding author: Yi Tang, Department of Acupuncture, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guizhou Hospital (Guizhou Medical University Affiliated Hospital - Gui’an District), No. 41 West Qing’an Avenue, Anxin New Area, Guiyang 550031, Guizhou Province, China. tangyi93515@163.com

Received: April 30, 2026
Revised: June 9, 2026
Accepted: August 14, 2026
Published online: November 19, 2026
Processing time: 181 Days and 22.9 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Intractable peripheral facial paralysis often leads to persistent facial dysfunction and significant psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, which mutually reinforce each other. Warm acupuncture is effective for nerve repair, while positive emotion training may alleviate negative emotions. However, evidence for their combined effect is lacking. We hypothesized that positive emotion training plus warm acupuncture would improve both facial nerve function and emotional state more effectively than warm acupuncture alone.

AIM

To evaluate positive emotion training plus warm acupuncture for negative emotion and facial nerve function in intractable facial paralysis.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 120 patients with intractable peripheral facial paralysis at a tertiary hospital (November 2024 to March 2026). They were divided into a control group (n = 60, warm acupuncture alone) and an observation group (n = 60, warm acupuncture plus positive emotion training). Simplified Facial Grading Scale (SFGS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and clinical efficacy were assessed. Independent t-test and χ² test were used.

RESULTS

After treatment, the observation group had a significantly higher SFGS score (84.20 ± 7.59 vs 67.12 ± 6.62, P < 0.001) and lower SAS score (34.90 ± 2.01 vs 44.32 ± 1.99, P < 0.001) than the control group. SDS score was also lower in the observation group (34.22 ± 2.10 vs 44.37 ± 2.46, P < 0.001). The overall response rate was higher in the observation group (91.67% vs 78.33%, P < 0.05). No significant baseline differences existed in age, sex, body mass index, disease course, lesion location, SFGS, SAS or SDS (P > 0.05 for all).

CONCLUSION

Positive emotion training combined with warm acupuncture improves facial nerve function and reduces anxiety and depression in intractable facial paralysis, with superior efficacy to warm acupuncture alone.

Keywords: Intractable peripheral facial paralysis; Positive emotion training; Warm acupuncture; Facial nerve function; Anxiety and depression

Core Tip: This retrospective study shows that positive emotion training combined with warm acupuncture can significantly improve facial nerve function and relieve anxiety and depression in patients with refractory peripheral facial paralysis. Compared with warm acupuncture alone, the combined therapy achieves higher Sunnybrook scores, lower anxiety and depression scale scores, and a higher total effective rate. The findings indicate that the combined treatment is superior to warm acupuncture alone and provides a practical mind-body rehabilitation strategy.