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World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2026; 16(4): 112523
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.112523
Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.112523
Psychological states in diabetic retinopathy: Social support correlates and risk factors
Yuan Yuan, Lu Wang, Bing-Qian Zhou, Wan-Er Lin, Long Pang, Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China
Fang-Jie Jian, The Second Clinical Medical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medi
Yan Wang, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Tradi
Author contributions: Yuan Y designed the research and wrote the first manuscript; Yuan Y, Jian FJ, Wang L, Zhou BQ, Lin WE, Pang L, and Wang Y contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; Wang Y conducted the analysis and provided guidance for the research; all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Special Research Project in Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, No. YN2023WSSQ06; Research and Innovation Fund of the Second Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. SEZYY2024C01; and National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82405485.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Yan Wang, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 60 Hengfu Road, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China. wangyan96000@126.com
Received: October 10, 2025
Revised: November 25, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 170 Days and 19.6 Hours
Revised: November 25, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: April 19, 2026
Processing time: 170 Days and 19.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study analyzed patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) to evaluate the correlations between psychological distress and social support and identify influencing factors. Nearly half of the cohort experienced anxiety or depression. In non-proliferative DR, anxiety and depression showed a significant negative correlation with social support, whereas findings in proliferative DR require validation in larger samples. Patients with a long diabetes mellitus duration, visual impairment, hypertension, a family history of diabetes mellitus, and low social support level were at heightened risk for psychological distress.