Cognitive-behavioral therapy with abdominal breathing and music therapy for anxiety, depression, and well-being in glioma patients undergoing chemotherapy: A factorial design analysis.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with abdominal breathing training (ABT) and/or music therapy (MT) on negative emotions and subjective well-being in glioma patients undergoing chemotherapy.

METHODS

Glioma patients receiving first-time chemotherapy at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to control (routine nursing), ABT (routine nursing + CBT + ABT), MT (routine nursing + CBT + MT), and combined (routine nursing + CBT + ABT + MT) groups. Anxiety, depression, and subjective well-being were assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and General Well-being Scale (GWBS) after the first and after the fourth chemotherapy cycles.

RESULTS

The study included 43, 45, 44, and 42 participants in the control, ABT, MT, and combined groups, respectively. Compared to the control group, CBT+MT and CBT+ABT interventions significantly reduced anxiety (-16.90%, P < 0.001, and -22.90%, P = 0.003, respectively) and depression (-20.52%, P < 0.001, and -14.00%, P < 0.001, respectively). However, the combined intervention did not significantly reduce anxiety (P = 0.486) or depression (P = 0.313). Subjective well-being significantly improved in the CBT+MT (+25.26%, P < 0.001), CBT+ABT (+25.92%, P < 0.001), and combined (+34.50%, P = 0.009) groups compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

CBT combined with ABT or MT may effectively alleviate anxiety and depression in glioma patients undergoing chemotherapy. The combination of ABT and MT with CBT significantly improved subjective well-being. These findings provide a reference for clinical interventions aimed at enhancing emotional well-being in this patient population.