Clinical trial · Interventional
Stress Ball Use During Chemotherapy in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients
The Effect of Stress Ball on Anxiety, Fear and Vital Signs in Patients With Gastrointestinal System Cancer
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
This study will investigate whether using a stress ball during chemotherapy can reduce anxiety, fear, and changes in vital signs in patients with gastrointestinal system cancers. Patients receiving chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers often experience anxiety and fear, which may affect their heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. A stress ball is a simple, low-cost, and safe method that may help patients relax during treatment. In this randomized controlled study, 60 patients receiving chemotherapy will be assigned to either a stress ball group or a routine care group. Patients in the stress ball group will squeeze a stress ball for 15 minutes during their chemotherapy session. Anxiety, fear levels, and vital signs will be measured before and after chemotherapy in both groups. The results of this study may help determine whether stress ball use is an effective non-drug method to improve emotional well-being and physiological stability in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gastrointestinal System Cancer | Malignant Digestive System Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stress Ball | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Stress Ball Intervention
- description
- Participants in this arm will receive routine chemotherapy care and will additionally perform stress ball squeezing for 15 minutes starting at the beginning of the chemotherapy session. Patients will be instructed to inhale while squeezing the ball and exhale while releasing it, focusing attention on the activity.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Stress Ball
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Routine Care Control
- description
- Participants in this arm will receive routine chemotherapy care during their chemotherapy session and will not perform any stress ball or additional relaxation intervention.
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- State Anxiety (STAI-State) score
- timeFrame
- Baseline (before chemotherapy session) and immediately after chemotherapy session
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Being aged 18 years or older * Having a diagnosis of gastrointestinal system cancer and receiving chemotherapy * Having no communication problems * Having no physical disability that would prevent squeezing a stress ball * Willingness to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: \-
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available