KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to assess self-led VR-CBT’s effects on sick role adaptation in working-age patients with CRC.
- The anticipated results from VR-CBT’s success and user feedback will bolster research on psychosocial interventions for cancer patients adapting to illness.
Significant factors in sick role maladaptation among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) include inappropriate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors related to the disease.
Xinxin Li and the team aimed to assess how self-led virtual reality-based cognitive behavioral therapy (VR-CBT) affects sick role adaptation in working-age patients with CRC.
In this assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial following SPIRIT 2013 guidelines, 60 working-age patients with CRC will be recruited from a cancer center’s colorectal wards.
Participants will be randomly assigned to either the VR-CBT group or attention control (AC) group. The VR-CBT group will undergo 7 sessions targeting sick role adaptation, while the AC group will receive weekly attention during the same period.
Assessments of sick role adaptation, anxiety, depression, illness perceptions, and quality of life will occur at baseline and 1, 2, and 3 months post-intervention. VR-related side effects will be monitored after each session in the VR-CBT group. Semi-structured interviews will invite participant feedback on their intervention experiences.
Positive outcomes and user experiences with VR-CBT are poised to advance research on effective psychosocial interventions for cancer populations adapting to the sick role.
This protocol offers a feasible, accessible alternative to costly traditional treatments in improving outcomes for younger cancer survivors in randomized controlled studies.
This study was supported by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Finance and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
The trial is sponsored by School of Nursing, Sun Yat-sen University.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39020293/
Clinical Trial: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojEN.html?proj=188406
Li X, Wu X, Chen C, et al. (2024). “A randomized controlled trial of a self-led, virtual reality-based cognitive behavioral therapy on sick role adaptation in colorectal cancer patients: study protocol.” BMC Cancer. 2024;24(1):847. Published 2024 Jul 17. doi:10.1186/s12885-024-12583-1
