The effect of virtual reality meditation on anxiety management in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: A randomized controlled study

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a virtual reality–based meditation intervention on anxiety management in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The study employed a three-arm randomized controlled experimental design and was carried out between April 2024 and March 2025 at the Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit of Bezmialem Vakıf University Health Application and Research Center. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: virtual reality–based meditation (n=29), virtual reality–based nature video (n=29), and control (n=30), resulting in a total sample of 89 participants. For three consecutive days, patients in the meditation group received 10-minute sessions of virtual reality–assisted meditation, while the video group viewed 10-minute nature-themed content via virtual reality headset. The control group received standard care only. Data collection tools included the Patient Information Form, State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, Vital Signs Monitoring Form, Satisfaction with Intervention Evaluation Form, and Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire. State anxiety and vital signs were measured before and after each session for three days, while trait anxiety was assessed on Day 1 (pre-test), Day 3 (post-test), and Day 30 (follow-up). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Differences within and between groups were evaluated using ANOVA, Paired Samples Test, and Repeated Measures Test. The sample had a mean age of 53.88 ± 11.83 years; 43.8% had a primary school education, 56.2% were female, 78.7% were married, and 47.2% reported their income as equal to their expenses. In terms of cancer type, 29.2% had gastrointestinal cancer, 25.8% had breast cancer, and 16.9% had lung cancer. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were similar across the intervention and control groups. Both interventions significantly reduced state anxiety compared to the control group, with the meditation group demonstrating a greater reduction. A significant decrease in trait anxiety was observed only in the meditation group; however, no differences were found between the groups at the 30-day follow-up. Patient satisfaction with both interventions was high, and no adverse effects were reported. In conclusion, the virtual reality–based meditation intervention was found to be an effective method for reducing state anxiety in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, demonstrating greater efficacy than both standard care and the nature video–based virtual reality intervention.