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World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2026; 16(7): 118506
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118506
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118506
Prospective study of preoperative anxiety and impact on postoperative pain perception and recovery quality in patients undergoing thyroidectomy
Ji Zhang, Zi-Jie Su, Guo-Qing Li, Zhen-Hua Zhang, Department of Thyroid Surgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital/People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China
Shi-Min Zhuang, Department of Thyroid Surgy, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510065, Guangdong Province, China
Tao Qin, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital/People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China
Co-first authors: Ji Zhang and Shi-Min Zhuang.
Author contributions: Zhang J and Zhuang SM contributed equally to this work as a co-first author; Zhang J designed the study, collected and analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript; Zhuang SM participated in the study design, data interpretation, and critical revision of the manuscript; Su ZJ, Li GQ, and Zhang ZH were responsible for patient enrollment, data acquisition, and follow-up; Qin T supervised the overall study design and implementation, guided data analysis, and manuscript development, critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: We hereby confirm that no artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, Grammarly, DeepL, or any other AI based tools, were used in the preparation, writing, polishing, translation, data analysis, research design, result interpretation, or graphic generation process of this manuscript. The full text is written by the authors, including abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.
Institutional review board statement: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Henan Provincial People’s Hospital (Approval No. 2024-05).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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 additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Tao Qin, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital/People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 7 Weiwu Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China.
Received: February 3, 2026
Revised: March 5, 2026
Accepted: March 31, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 142 Days and 10.3 Hours
Revised: March 5, 2026
Accepted: March 31, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 142 Days and 10.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This prospective study demonstrated that preoperative anxiety is not merely a psychological state but also a clinically meaningful predictor of postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Higher anxiety levels were associated with significantly greater postoperative pain, poorer short-term recovery quality, increased risk of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, greater neck muscle stiffness, worse scar healing, and longer hospital stays, while oncological outcomes were unaffected. These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating routine psychological screening and targeted perioperative anxiety management into thyroid surgery care pathways to improve patient-centered outcomes, enhance recovery efficiency, and reduce the burden of complications.