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World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2026; 16(7): 120249
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.120249
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.120249
Incidence, risk factors, and correlation with organ involvement of psychological disorders in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome
Guang-Qiao He, Ci-Yuan Yu, Bi-Yuan Xu, Chong-Yang Liu, Jian-Ping Diao, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Fangda Hospital), Chongqing 401120, China
Li-Yang Dai, Department of Information Statistics Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Fangda Hospital), Chongqing 401120, China
Yao-Jing Li, Department of Clinical Psychology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Fangda Hospital), Chongqing 401120, China
Co-first authors: Guang-Qiao He and Ci-Yuan Yu.
Co-corresponding authors: Chong-Yang Liu and Jian-Ping Diao.
Author contributions: He GQ and Yu CY contributed equally as co-first authors and were responsible for data collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript drafting; Liu CY, as the principal investigator and co-corresponding author, conceived and designed the study, coordinated patient enrollment and clinical data acquisition, and supervised the interpretation of clinical findings; Xu BY assisted with data acquisition and clinical data verification; Dai LY oversaw the statistical methodology and formal data analysis; Li YJ administered and scored the psychological assessment scales and provided clinical input on the psychological evaluation framework; Diao JP supervised the overall project and critically revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final version and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Diao JP led study design, patient recruitment, data collection, clinical evaluation, and manuscript drafting. Liu CY provided overall research guidance, supervised data interpretation, critically revised the manuscript for intellectual content, and ensured clinical and methodological rigor. Both authors made substantial, equal, and indispensable contributions. Designating them as joint corresponding authors reflects their shared responsibility and ensures efficient, comprehensive communication with the journal.
AI contribution statement: No AI tool was involved in the generation of research data, interpretation of results, or formulation of conclusions.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Fangda Hospital), Chongqing, China (Approval No. 2025CDYCEC-56). The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and all applicable institutional and national ethical standards governing retrospective clinical research.
Informed consent statement: The requirement for individual written informed consent was waived by the Ethics Committee of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Fangda Hospital) (Approval No. 2025CDYCEC-56). The waiver was granted on the basis that the study was a retrospective observational analysis utilizing existing, fully anonymized and de-identified medical records, that no direct patient contact or additional clinical interventions were performed, and that the study posed no more than minimal risk to participants and did not affect their clinical management in any way. All data handling and processing were performed in compliance with applicable privacy and data protection regulations.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article. No funding was received from commercial or for-profit entities that could have influenced the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of this study.
Data sharing statement:
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available, as they contain information derived from patient medical records subject to institutional data governance policies. Deidentified data are available from the corresponding authors, Chong-Yang Liu and Jian-Ping Diao, at 651242@hospital.cqmu.edu.cn, upon reasonable request and subject to approval by the Ethics Committee of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Fangda Hospital) and compliance with applicable data protection regulations.
Corresponding author: Jian-Ping Diao, MD, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Fangda Hospital), No. 1 Shuanghu Branch Road, Huixing Street, Chongqing 401120, China.
Received: March 17, 2026
Revised: May 12, 2026
Accepted: May 27, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 100 Days and 15.5 Hours
Revised: May 12, 2026
Accepted: May 27, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 100 Days and 15.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Psychological disorders are Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), patient subjective stress inventory more than half of the studied population. Higher disease activity, longer disease duration and multi-organ involvement (especially interstitial lung disease and peripheral neuropathy) are closely tied with depression and anxiety. Quality of life correlates negatively, whereas psychological severity correlates positively with inflammatory markers. Independent risk factors included female sex and EULAR SS Disease Activity Index ≥ 12. These results demonstrate the two-way interaction between immune-mediated inflammation and mental health, indicating that regular psychological assessment alongside integrated multidisciplinary management of SS patients is warranted.