ObjectiveTo explore the influence of individualized psychological nursing in perioperative patients with high complex anal fistula on their perioperative anxiety, depression, pain, and recovery. MethodsFifty-seven perioperative patients with high anal fistula treated between May 2011 and March 2012 were randomly divided into observation group (n=28) and control group (n=29). Patients in the control group were treated with traditional way of psychological nursing intervention, while patients in the observation group were given individualized psychological nursing intervention. Then, we compared the two groups of patients in terms of their perioperative anxiety, depression, and pain as well as the length of hospital stay, hospital expenses, wound healing time, and patients' quality of life. ResultsOn the day of surgery and on day 7 after surgery, anxiety, depression and pain scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). Length of hospital stay and hospitalization expenses of the observation group were significantly shorter or less than the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant diTherence between the two groups in postoperative wound healing time (P>0.05). The quality of life score for both the two groups of patients after treatment was significantly higher than that before treatment (P<0.05), but there was no statistically significant diTherence between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionIndividualized psychological nursing can relieve perioperative adverse psychological reactions such as anxiety, depression and pain, and promote postoperative recovery for patients with high complex anal flstula.