Jianpi Huazhuo Xiaoying Decoction plus emotional conditioning for thyroid nodule treatment: Impact on treatment outcomes and anxiety/depression

Table 1 Baseline parameters of control vs observation groups, n (%)/mean ± SD/median (interquartile range)

Indicator	Control group (n = 60)	Observation group (n = 63)	χ2/t/Z	P value
Female count	42 (70.00)	38 (60.32)	1.267	0.260
Age (years)	44.53 ± 8.74	46.40 ± 8.80	1.182	0.240
Illness duration (months)	10.00 (7.25, 12.00)	10.00 (9.00, 12.00)	-1.246	0.213
Smoking history	22 (36.67)	30 (47.62)	1.511	0.219
Alcoholism history	18 (30.00)	15 (23.81)	0.600	0.439
Familial medical history	6 (10.00)	5 (7.94)	0.161	0.689

Table 2 Comparative traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores (control vs observation), median (interquartile range)

Indicator	Control group (n = 60)	Observation group (n = 63)	Z	P value
Mass dimension
Pre-treatment	4.00 (3.00, 4.00)	3.00 (3.00, 4.00)	-1.267	0.205
Post-treatment	1.00 (1.00, 2.00)a	1.00 (0.00, 1.00)b	-4.546	< 0.001
Chest oppression/pain
Pre-treatment	3.00 (3.00, 4.00)	3.00 (3.00, 4.00)	-1.117	0.264
Post-treatment	2.00 (2.00, 3.00)a	1.00 (0.00, 2.00)b	-6.582	< 0.001
Mood irregularities
Pre-treatment	3.00 (3.00, 4.00)	3.00 (3.00, 4.00)	-1.093	0.274
Post-treatment	2.00 (1.00, 2.00)a	1.00 (0.00, 1.00)b	-5.275	< 0.001

^aP < 0.05, intra-group comparison vs pretreatment.

^bP < 0.01, intra-group comparison vs pretreatment.

Table 3 Anxiety and depression scores in control vs observation groups, mean ± SD

Indicator	Control group (n = 60)	Observation group (n = 63)	t	P value
SAS (points)
Pre-treatment	45.78 ± 7.72	45.57 ± 5.66	0.173	0.863
Post-treatment	41.88 ± 5.95a	39.70 ± 5.38b	2.133	0.035
SDS (points)
Pre-treatment	48.13 ± 4.80	47.78 ± 7.11	0.318	0.751
Post-treatment	45.67 ± 5.44a	42.62 ± 4.85b	3.286	0.001

^aP < 0.05 (within-group differences from baseline).

^bP < 0.01 (within-group differences from baseline).

SAS: Self-Rating Anxiety Scale; SDS: Self-Rating Depression Scale.

Table 4 Comparative clinical outcomes between control and observation groups, n (%)

Indicator	Control group (n = 60)	Observation group (n = 63)	χ2	P value
Markedly effective	22 (36.67)	30 (47.62)
Effective	20 (33.33)	25 (39.68)
Ineffective	18 (30.00)	8 (12.70)
Overall effectiveness	42 (70.00)	55 (87.30)	5.519	0.019

Table 5 Comparative analysis of thyroid nodule parameters between control and observation groups, mean ± SD/median (interquartile range)

Indicator	Control group (n = 60)	Observation group (n = 63)	t/Z	P value
Number of nodules	1.00 (1.00, 2.00)	1.00 (1.00, 1.00)	-3.636	< 0.001
Average nodule diameter	14.78 ± 3.22	8.65 ± 2.46	11.899	< 0.001
Microvascular density	46.57 ± 8.46	37.83 ± 5.76	6.726	< 0.001