Abstract:

Objective: To understand the psychological and social support needs of tuberculosis patients in Chongqing metropolitan area, and to provide a reference basis for providing targeted psychological and social support for tuberculosis patients. Methods: By means of convenient sampling and saturation principle, a survey was conducted on the general demographic characteristics, psychological and social support of pulmonary tuberculosis patients registered for treatment in the Chongqing metropolitan area from November 2023 to February 2024. A total of 453 pieces of questionnaire were distributed and retrieved, among which 445 were valid, with a validation rate of 98.23%. Results: The proportions of worry and fear emotion occurrence among patients after getting TB were 52.36% (233/445) and 20.90% (93/445), respectively, and the proportion of indifferent attitude was 13.48% (60/445). Patients in Chongqing were more likely to feel worried than those in Guang’an (58.92% (142/241) and 44.61% (91/204);χ²=9.074, P=0.003)). Patients in Guang’an were more convinced that active formal treatment could cure the disease than those in Chongqing (75.49% (154/204) and 66.80% (161/241);χ²=4.030, P=0.045). The proportion of patients who were willing to let their family members know about their illness was the highest (98.88% (440/445)), while the proportions of patients who were willing to let colleagues/classmates, employers/leaders know about their illness were relatively small, accounting for 15.96% (71/445) and 8.31% (37/445) respectively. The patients in Chongqing were more unwilling to let their employers/leaders know about their illness than those in Guang’an (4.41% (9/204) and 11.62% (28/241);χ²=7.527, P=0.006). The proportion of patients who were willing to relieve their burden by talking with family members/colleagues/friends was the highest (55.51% (247/445)), and patients in Chongqing were more willing to relieve their psychological burden by overcoming it by themselves (37.76% (91/241) and 28.43% (58/204);χ²=4.316, P=0.038). After learning about the patient’s illness, family members had the best attitude towards the patient and 82.30% (358/435) showed a greater concern for them, while there was a minority discrimination against the patient in other groups. Conclusion: The psychological state and social support of tuberculosis patients in Chongqing metropolitan area are different in different regions, and some patients face social discrimination. It is recommended to strengthen mental health support, enhance public awareness of TB, and formulate differentiated intervention measures according to the characteristics of different regions to improve the psychological state and social support level of patients.

Key words: Tuberculosis, Psychology, Social support, Questionnaires, Cognition, Health education