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World J Psychiatry. May 19, 2026; 16(5): 115026
Published online May 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i5.115026
Published online May 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i5.115026
Relationship between dyspnea, fear, anxiety and depression in patients with mild acute respiratory distress syndrome
Kun Chen, Xiao-Bao Gu, Department of Intensive Care, Guannan First People’s Hospital, Guannan 222500, Jiangsu Province, China
Qing-Bin Zheng, Department of Intensive Care, The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225000, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Chen K performed the primary literature and data extraction; Zheng QB analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Gu XB was responsible for revising the manuscript for important intellectual content; and all authors read and approved the final version.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Guannan First People’s Hospital (Approval No. 2025072403).
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardian provided informed written consent about personal and medical data collection prior to study enrolment.
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: The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Xiao-Bao Gu, Department of Intensive Care, Guannan First People’s Hospital, North Side of Xingang Avenue and East Side of Taizhou North Road, Guannan 222500, Jiangsu Province, China. guxiaobao888@126.com
Received: October 14, 2025
Revised: November 22, 2025
Accepted: February 2, 2026
Published online: May 19, 2026
Processing time: 196 Days and 24 Hours
Revised: November 22, 2025
Accepted: February 2, 2026
Published online: May 19, 2026
Processing time: 196 Days and 24 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study reveals the interrelations between fear of dyspnea, anxiety, and depression in patients with mild acute respiratory distress syndrome through a structural equation model. Findings highlight that anxiety has both direct and indirect effects on dyspnea fear via depression, suggesting anxiety acts as a key mediator. Early identification and intervention for anxiety could reduce dyspnea-related psychological burden and improve recovery outcomes.