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.