Li W, Su YX, Wang C, Wang YL, Gao SX, Bao J, Zhu QW. Age-related and sex-related disparities in psychological distress among thyroid cancer patients: A retrospective study. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114348 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114348]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Qian-Wen Zhu, MS, Department of Thyroid Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, No. 366 Taishan Street, Taishan District, Tai’an 271000, Shandong Province, China. zqw1855@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychology
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (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: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 19, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 27, 2026
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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
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Li W, Su YX, Wang C, Wang YL, Gao SX, Bao J, Zhu QW. Age-related and sex-related disparities in psychological distress among thyroid cancer patients: A retrospective study. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114348 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114348]
Wen Li, Cheng Wang, Yun-Ling Wang, Si-Xian Gao, Jing Bao, Qian-Wen Zhu, Department of Thyroid Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an 271000, Shandong Province, China
Yue-Xin Su, Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an 271000, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Li W written the first draft of the manuscript; Li W, Wang C, Wang YL, and Gao SX performed data collection and clinical assessment; Li W and Bao J conducted statistical analysis and interpretation; Li W and Zhu QW contributed to the study conception and design; Su YX contributed to psychological assessment coordination and patient recruitment; Zhu QW supervised the entire study; all authors contributed to subsequent revisions and critical review of the content, read and approved the final manuscript for publication.
Supported by Tai'an Science and Technology Innovation Development Project, No. 2023NS259.
Institutional review board statement: This retrospective study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University (No. XYZ123-V2.0-20250115). The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Informed consent statement: The requirement for written informed consent was waived by the ethics committee because the study used de-identified data collected retrospectively and posed minimal risk to participants.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to this study.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Qian-Wen Zhu, MS, Department of Thyroid Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, No. 366 Taishan Street, Taishan District, Tai’an 271000, Shandong Province, China. zqw1855@163.com
Received: October 10, 2025 Revised: November 6, 2025 Accepted: December 2, 2025 Published online: March 19, 2026 Processing time: 139 Days and 23.7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Thyroid cancer incidence is rising globally, with distinct gender and age disparities. Despite favorable prognosis, 20%-50% of patients experience significant psychological distress that impacts treatment outcomes and quality of life. Age and gender are key demographic factors influencing psychological adaptation, yet systematic research on psychological health status in thyroid cancer patients, particularly in Chinese populations, remains limited.
AIM
To investigate the impact of age and gender on the psychological health status of thyroid cancer patients, providing scientific evidence for developing personalized psychological intervention strategies.
METHODS
A retrospective study design was employed to collect clinical data from 180 thyroid cancer patients diagnosed at our hospital from May 2022 to March 2025. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Brief Version were used to assess patients' psychological health status. Patients were divided by gender into male group (48 cases) and female group (132 cases), and by age into young group (18-44 years, 66 cases), middle-aged group (45-59 years, 77 cases), and elderly group (≥ 60 years, 37 cases).
RESULTS
Female patients had significantly higher Self-Rating Anxiety Scale total scores and Self-Rating Depression Scale total scores than males, with significantly lower Quality of Life Psychological Health Domain Score than males (P < 0.05). The young group had the highest anxiety and depression scores and lowest quality of life scores, while the elderly group had relatively better psychological health status, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). The detection rates of anxiety and depression in females were 45.5% and 43.2%, respectively, significantly higher than males' 29.2% and 25.0% (P < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender (female), age group (young group), TNM staging (advanced stage), and education level (high school and below) were independent influencing factors for anxiety and depression scores.
CONCLUSION
Female and young thyroid cancer patients are high-risk groups for psychological health problems, and disease staging and education level also significantly affect patients' psychological health status. Clinical practice should establish psychological health screening mechanisms based on patients' demographic characteristics and develop personalized psychological support strategies.
Core Tip: This retrospective study explored the influence of age and gender on psychological health in thyroid cancer patients. Results revealed that female and younger patients exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression and lower quality of life scores compared with males and older patients. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that female sex, young age, advanced TNM stage, and lower education level were independent risk factors for poor psychological outcomes. These findings highlight the need for early psychological screening and tailored intervention strategies for high-risk subgroups to improve overall treatment effectiveness and quality of life.
