This study explores the effectiveness of Chaihu Hehuan Jieyu Tang (CHT) combined with career guidance to alleviate employment anxiety among college students. Employment anxiety is a common concern among college students, and targeted interventions are necessary to mitigate its negative impact.

One hundred sixty college students with employment anxiety were selected for this study. They were randomly divided into four groups: the CHT combined with the career guidance group (n=40), the CHT alone group (n=40), the career guidance alone group (n=40), and the control group (n=40). The Stanford Acute Stress Response Questionnaire (SASRQ) and the 3-min Confusion Assessment Scale (3D-CAM) measured the participants’ anxiety levels. The intervention was conducted over twelve weeks, with regular sessions twice weekly.

Statistical analysis using SPSS23.0 revealed a significant reduction in anxiety levels in all intervention groups compared to the control group (P<0.001). However, the group receiving the combined intervention of CHT and career guidance exhibited a more substantial decrease in anxiety symptoms than those receiving single interventions (P<0.05), as measured by the SASRQ and 3D-CAM. These findings suggest that the combined intervention has a more substantial effect on alleviating employment anxiety among college students.

This study indicates that combining Chaihu and Huanjieyu Tang with career guidance effectively reduces employment anxiety among college students. These results highlight the importance of combining traditional Chinese medicine interventions such as CHT with career guidance to achieve more comprehensive and effective results.