Screening for Emotional Suppression in MRD-Positive Leukemia Patients: A Risk-Stratified Approach to Guide Nurse-Led Psychosocial Care

The presence of minimal residual disease (MRD) in acute leukemia patients post-chemotherapy is a crucial prognostic factor. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and determinants of emotional suppression in MRD-positive acute leukemia patients to inform targeted interventions. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 139 MRD-positive acute leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy at a tertiary hospital in Handan, Hebei province (January 2023–December 2024). Patients completed validated measures assessing emotional suppression, social constraints, and alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20). Multivariate regression analysis identified Age, disease stage, relapse status, insurance type (out-of-pocket vs. insured), social constraints, and alexithymia as significant predictors of emotional suppression (all P<0.001), accounting for 68.6% of the variance in emotional suppression scores.. Notably, the mean emotional suppression score was 31.07±4.85. Significant positive correlations were observed between emotional suppression and social constraints (r=0.609, P<0.01) as well as between emotional suppression and alexithymia (r=0.232, P<0.01). These findings underscore the elevated emotional suppression experienced by MRD-positive acute leukemia patients. Patients with advanced Age, high-risk disease, relapse, out-of-pocket expenses, high social constraints, and alexithymia are particularly vulnerable. Targeted psychological interventions are warranted to reduce emotional suppression, thereby improving psychological well-being and quality of life in this patient population.