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World J Psychiatry. Aug 19, 2026; 16(8): 118764
Published online Aug 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118764
Epidemiology and associated factors of screening-identified dysphagia risk in psychiatric inpatients
Zhi-Qian Liu, Yu-Qing Feng, Cui-Yuan Fu, Jia-Hui Wang, Ke-Xu Zhang, Xiao-Chi Yuan, Rui Li, Chen-Chen Zhang, Guang-Hang Huang, Yue-Bing Zhang, Kun Li
Zhi-Qian Liu, Cui-Yuan Fu, Jia-Hui Wang, Ke-Xu Zhang, Xiao-Chi Yuan, Rui Li, Chen-Chen Zhang, Guang-Hang Huang, Yue-Bing Zhang, Kun Li, Department of Physical Therapy, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Zhi-Qian Liu, Yu-Qing Feng, Yue-Bing Zhang, Kun Li, School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Cui-Yuan Fu, Jia-Hui Wang, Ke-Xu Zhang, Xiao-Chi Yuan, Rui Li, Chen-Chen Zhang, Guang-Hang Huang, Yue-Bing Zhang, Kun Li, Department of Neuromodulation, Jining Key Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Liu ZQ, Fu CY, Wang JH, Li R, Zhang CC, Zhang YB, and Li K designed the research study and were involved in the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; Liu ZQ wrote the manuscript; Feng YQ, Zhang KX, Yuan XC, and Huang GH accessed and verified the study data; and all authors thoroughly reviewed and endorsed the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: ChatGPT was used for preliminary language polishing. All scientific content, data analysis, study design, and interpretation of results were independently completed by the authors.
Supported by the Key Research Plan of Jining City, No. 2024YXNS205.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, approval 2024-No. 57-202410HM-1.
Informed consent statement: Due to the retrospective nature of this study, the requirement for informed consent for publication was waived by the Institutional Ethics Committee.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at
likunyjs@163.com. Participant consent for data sharing was not obtained, but the data are fully anonymized and the risk of identification is low.
Corresponding author: Kun Li, MD, Department of Physical Therapy, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, No. 1 Jidai Road, Rencheng District, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China.
likunyjs@163.com
Received: January 12, 2026
Revised: February 12, 2026
Accepted: April 1, 2026
Published online: August 19, 2026
Processing time: 189 Days and 15.4 Hours
BACKGROUND
Dysphagia is a clinically significant but often overlooked issue in psychiatric inpatients, with limited evidence on its associated risk factors.
AIM
To investigate the epidemiology and risk factors of moderate-to-severe risk of dysphagia in psychiatric inpatients.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 2414 psychiatric inpatients screened using a standardized assessment was conducted. Patients were stratified into low-risk and moderate-to-severe risk groups. Univariate analysis, multivariate logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were performed.
RESULTS
In this study, 2.36% of psychiatric inpatients were classified as having moderate-to-severe dysphagia risk. Independent associations with dysphagia risk included age (β = 0.076, P < 0.001), married status (β = -1.389, P = 0.005), schizophrenia (β = 1.714, P = 0.027), intellectual disability (β = 2.119, P = 0.029), thyroid stimulating hormone (β = 0.053, P = 0.009), and length of hospital stay (β = 0.002, P = 0.030). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that age demonstrated moderate discriminative ability (area under the curve = 0.715).
CONCLUSION
Among psychiatric inpatients, 2.36% were at moderate-to-severe risk of dysphagia. Factors associated with dysphagia risk included age, schizophrenia, intellectual disability, married status, length of hospital stay, and thyroid stimulating hormone levels.
Core Tip: This retrospective study evaluated the risk of dysphagia in 2414 psychiatric inpatients and found that 2.36% were classified as having moderate-to-severe risk of dysphagia. Dysphagia risk was independently associated with older age and those diagnosed with schizophrenia or intellectual disability, with additional associations involving thyroid stimulating hormone levels, marital status, and length of hospital stay. These findings provide epidemiological evidence to support screening-identified risk stratification and underscore the importance of increasing awareness and targeted assessment of dysphagia in psychiatric inpatient settings.
