Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. Aug 19, 2026; 16(8): 118844
Published online Aug 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118844
Published online Aug 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118844
Effects of cognitive behavioral therapy-based group intervention on burnout and anxiety symptoms in operating room nurses
Chun-Ling Chen, Wen-Mei Liu, Rui-Ping Cai, Min Liang, Department of Operating Room, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
You-Xian Zhong, Department of Breast Tumor Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Co-first authors: Chun-Ling Chen and Wen-Mei Liu.
Author contributions: Chen CL and Liu WM are co-first authors of this article. Chen CL and Liu WM contributed to study design, data collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript writing; Cai RP participated in intervention implementation and data collection; Zhong YX contributed to study design and manuscript revision; Liang M was responsible for research supervision, manuscript review, and final approval. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (Approval No. SKSKY-2025-1004-01).
Informed consent statement: Given the retrospective nature of the study and the use of de-identified data collected during routine clinical practice, the requirement for written informed consent was waived by the ethics committee. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant institutional guidelines.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The de-identified data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Min Liang, Department of Operating Room, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 107 Yanjiang West Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China. liangmin20040221@126.com
Received: February 6, 2026
Revised: March 23, 2026
Accepted: May 25, 2026
Published online: August 19, 2026
Processing time: 162 Days and 23.1 Hours
Revised: March 23, 2026
Accepted: May 25, 2026
Published online: August 19, 2026
Processing time: 162 Days and 23.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study indicates that an 8-week group intervention based on cognitive behavioral therapy leads to a significant reduction in burnout, anxiety, and depressive symptoms as well as improvement of sleep quality, job satisfaction, and self-efficacy. Importantly, the positive effects were preserved for at least three months post-closing of the intervention. Overall, the study demonstrates that brief structured cognitive behavioral therapy group programs are feasible and effective for clinical implementation of mental health support to operating room nurses.