Objective To investigate the impact of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) on self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer.

Methods A total of 204 patients who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer at Nanjing Chest Hospital/the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2023 to September 2024 were randomly divided into group A and group B, with 102 cases in each group. Group A received routine nursing care, while group B received routine nursing care plus CFT. The following indicatorswere observed in both groups: stress perception Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score, cancer-related fatigue Piper Fatigue Scale-Revised (PFS-R) score, self-efficacy General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) score, PTG Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (C-PTGI) score, quality of life Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) score, and salivary cortisol levels.

Results During the study, a total of 18 cases were lost during follow-up, and ultimately 93 cases were included in each of group A and group B. After the intervention and at the 6-month follow-up, the PSS scores, PFS-R scores, and salivary cortisol levels in both groups were lower than those before the intervention, and the levels of these indicators at the 6-month follow-up were lower than those after the intervention, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). After the intervention and at the 6-month follow-up, the PSS scores, PFS-R scores, and salivary cortisol levels in group B were lower than those in group A, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). After the intervention and at the 6-month follow-up, the GSES scores, C-PTGI scores, and FACT-L scores in both groups were higher than those before the intervention, and the scores at the 6-month follow-up were higher than those after the intervention, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). After the intervention and at the 6-month follow-up, the GSES scores, C-PTGI scores, and FACT-L scores in group B were higher than those in group A, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001).

Conclusion CFT can effectively alleviate stress perception and cancer-related fatigue, enhance self-efficacy and PTG levels, improve quality of life, and reduce salivary cortisol levels in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer.