The effect of color therapy on fatigue, depression, and quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients: A randomized controlled study

Fatigue and depression are common problems in patients with Parkinson's disease, and their quality of life is significantly lower compared to healthy individuals. Color therapy has effects such as reducing depression and improving concentration problems. This study was conducted to examine the effect of color therapy applied to Parkinson's patients on fatigue, depression, and quality of life. The research was designed as a randomized controlled experimental study with pre-test and post-test control groups. The study population consisted of patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who applied to the Neurology Outpatient Clinic of Fırat University Hospital between November 2023 and June 2024. The sample included a total of 60 Parkinson's patients—30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group—randomly selected from the population, who agreed to participate in the study and met the inclusion criteria. In the intervention group, color therapy was applied three times a week during the first and second weeks. No intervention was performed in the third and fourth weeks. In the fifth and seventh weeks, color therapy was applied once a week for 15 minutes, while no intervention was made in the sixth week. In the eighth week, post-test data were collected using measurement tools. No intervention was performed on the control group during the study. Data were collected using the "Patient Information Form," "Parkinson's Fatigue Scale (PFS-16)," "Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)," and "Quality of Life Assessment Scale (SF-36)." For data analysis, frequency, percentage, standard deviation, arithmetic mean, chi-square test, Pearson chi-square test, paired samples t-test, and independent samples t-test were used. The study found that after the intervention, the intervention group had a statistically significant reduction (p=0.001) in total and subscale scores of PFS-16 and total BDI scores compared to the control group. Additionally, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in the total and subscale scores of the SF-36 in the intervention group compared to the control group. As a result, it was found that color therapy reduced fatigue and depression levels and improved quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. Color therapy may be recommended as a complementary nursing intervention in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.