Abstract:

Objective To investigate the psychological characteristics of newly diagnosed smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients and analyze the related influencing factors, and to explore the effect of supportive psychotherapy on newly diagnosed smear positive PTB patients.Methods Symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90) was used to evaluate 263 initial treatment smear-positive PTB patients, who visited Shenyang Chest Hospital in April to October 2018, and then compared the evaluation results of the patients with that of normal Chinese people (norm). The related influencing factors were analyzed. Then two weeks supportive psychotherapy was given to those patients and the clinical effects were analyzed after intervention.Results The scores of somatization symptoms, compulsion, anxiety, depression and hostility was 1.52±0.31, 1.81±0.42, 1.45±0.23, 1.62±0.28 and 1.59±0.58 respectively in the patients before they received intervention, which were significantly higher than those in the norm (1.37±0.48, 1.62±0.58, 1.39±0.43, 1.50±0.59 and 1.46±0.55) (t value was 6.161, 5.759, 3.331, 5.456, 2.862 respectively, P<0.01). The scores of somatization symptoms, depression, anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity in the female patients (1.61±0.48, 1.67±0.49, 1.51±0.26 and 1.72±0.38) were significantly higher than those in the male patients (1.45±0.25, 1.58±0.52, 1.39±0.63 and 1.59±0.46) (t value was 2.571,2.137,2.532,1.985 respectively, P<0.05). The scores of depression, anxiety and paranoia in the patients with college education level or above (1.73±0.36, 1.52±0.27 and 1.53±0.39) were significantly higher than those in the patients with senior high school education level or below (1.59±0.47, 1.39±0.59 and 1.41±0.46) (t value was 2.026, 2.123 and 1.987 respectively, P<0.05). There were significant differences of scores on depression (1.60±0.36-1.68±0.43), anxiety (1.42±0.53-1.51±0.18) and interpersonal sensitivity (1.63±0.47-1.72±0.35) in different age groups of the patients (F value was 2.378, 2.356 and 2.427 respectively, P<0.05). After supportive psychotherapy, the scores of somatization symptoms (1.39±0.42), compulsion (1.65±0.51), anxiety (1.35±0.29), depression (1.54±0.47), hostility (1.51±0.35) and psychiatric factors (1.29±0.35) were significantly lower than those before treatment (1.52±0.31, 1.81±0.42, 1.45±0.23, 1.62±0.28, 1.59±0.58 and 1.30±0.13) (t value was 10.153, 8.252, 3.584, 2.218, 3.235 and 2.165 respectively, P<0.05).Conclusion Psychological health level of the newly diagnosed smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients is worse than that of the norm. Their mental health level can be effectively improved by giving supportive psychotherapy.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary, Psychophysiological disorders, Psychometrics, Psychotherapy, short-term, Data interpretation, statistical