The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in serum and depression in children, and explore the effects of different nursing protocols on patients with low levels of BDNF. We recruited 128 children with depression and 50 healthy subjects. Compared with healthy controls, the mRNA and protein levels of BDNF in serum were lower in children with depression (p<0.01). We selected 60 depressed children with low BDNF and randomly divided them in two groups: comprehensive nursing (n=30) and regular nursing (n=30). Compared to healthy children, there was a significant increase in Hamilton depression (HAMD) scores in patients with depression in childhood (p<0.01). After treatment, BDNF protein expression was higher in the comprehensive nursing group than that in the regular nursing group (p<0.05). Also, the HAMD score in the comprehensive nursing group was significantly lower than that in the regular nursing group (p<0.05). Compliance to treatment and quality of life after treatment improved in the comprehensive nursing group compared with the regular nursing group (p<0.05). Overall, a decrease in BDNF expression is closely correlated with depression, and comprehensive nursing care can significantly ameliorate the depression symptoms in pediatric patients, increase the BDNF expression, and improve compliance and quality of life. These results provide theoretical and practical significance for clinical nursing care of patients with depression in childhood.

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