Introduction
As the most prevalent malignant tumor in the endocrine system(Chen W et al.2016), the incidence of thyroid cancer has been on the rise globally for the past 30 years, with an annual increase of 4%(Chen A Y et al.2009).According to 2020 statistics, there are 586,000 cases of thyroid cancer worldwide, with the 9th highest incidence rate(Sung H et al.2021).Although the ATA guidelines support the option of active surveillance for patients with low-risk thyroid cancer, a Japanese study showed that 10% of patients opted for surgery for various reasons(Sugitani I et al.2010).Some studies have reported that surgery is still the standard of care for most thyroid cancer patients(Laha D et al.2020).Patients commonly experience a range of physical and psychological symptoms after surgery, and current studies have focused on cancer eradication, potential complications(Filetti S et al.2019), and negative emotions in the surgical treatment of thyroid cancer(Randle R W et al.2017), while positive growth in postoperative patients has rarely been reported.
Traumatic events are experiences that may threaten an individual’s life, physical and mental health, and cause unusual suffering. While some people can only feel pain in the face of trauma, others can experience positive changes in their lives after a traumatic event(Sumall E C et al.2009), which is defined as Post-traumatic Growth (PTG)(Ochoa C et al.2017).A meta-analysis has shown that cancer patients who experience PTG are more likely to adapt to their disease, will experience less distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms, as well as exhibit healthier behaviors and higher treatment adherence(Sawyer A et al.2010). Thus, the successful occurrence of PTG in cancer patients is critical to their recovery and quality of life.
As a physical and mental disease, thyroid cancer cannot develop without the influence of psychosocial factors, and the positive psychological needs of thyroid cancer patients deserve external attention.Therefore, understanding the positive psychology of postoperative thyroid cancer patients and actively identifying and tapping into their positive regulatory potential are of great clinical significance in promoting both postoperative recovery and quality of life for thyroid cancer patients.