Clinical trial · Interventional
Virtual vs Physical Art Therapy for Anxiety, Psychological Well-being, and Sleep Quality in Colorectal Cancer Patients
Effects of Virtual Art Therapy Delivered Through Virtual Reality Glasses and Physical Art Therapy on Anxiety, Psychological Well-being, and Sleep Quality in Patients With Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- 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 randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of virtual reality-based art therapy and physical art therapy on anxiety, psychological well-being, and sleep quality in patients with colorectal cancer receiving outpatient chemotherapy. A total of 78 patients will be randomly assigned to three groups: a virtual reality art therapy group, a physical art therapy group, and a control group. Participants in the intervention groups will receive art therapy sessions every two weeks for eight weeks (four sessions in total). Anxiety, psychological well-being, and sleep quality will be assessed using validated scales before the intervention and after the fourth session. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of non-pharmacological supportive care interventions for oncology patients.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis) | Malignant Colorectal Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.80 |
| Sleep Disturbance | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Art Therapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Virtual Reality Art Therapy | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (3)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Virtual Reality Art Therapy
- description
- Participants in this group will receive virtual reality-based art therapy using a virtual reality headset and motion controllers. Patients will create drawings in a virtual painting environment using the Vermillion VR painting application. Sessions will be conducted every two weeks for eight weeks, for a total of four sessions.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Virtual Reality Art Therapy
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Physical Art Therapy
- description
- Participants in this group will receive traditional art therapy sessions using colored pencils and paper. Sessions will be conducted every two weeks for eight weeks, for a total of four sessions.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Physical Art Therapy
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria Age 18 years or older Diagnosed with colorectal cancer Receiving outpatient chemotherapy (FOLFOX or XELOX regimen) ECOG performance status between 0 and 2 Not receiving radiotherapy No hearing or speech impairments No severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder) Able to understand the study procedures and provide informed consent Willing to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria ECOG performance status of 3 or higher Patients who do not meet the inclusion criteria Patients unwilling to participate in the study
References
Publications (4)
- BACKGROUNDKaimal G, Ray K, Muniz J. Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making. Art Ther (Alex). 2016 Apr 2;33(2):74-80. doi: 10.1080/07421656.2016.1166832. Epub 2016 May 23. PMID 27695158
- BACKGROUNDHacmun I, Regev D, Salomon R. The Principles of Art Therapy in Virtual Reality. Front Psychol. 2018 Oct 31;9:2082. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02082. eCollection 2018. PMID 30429813
- BACKGROUNDJiang XH, Chen XJ, Xie QQ, Feng YS, Chen S, Peng JS. Effects of art therapy in cancer care: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2020 Sep;29(5):e13277. doi: 10.1111/ecc.13277. Epub 2020 Jun 15. PMID 32542749
- BACKGROUNDBosman JT, Bood ZM, Scherer-Rath M, Dorr H, Christophe N, Sprangers MAG, van Laarhoven HWM. The effects of art therapy on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in adults with cancer: a systematic literature review. Support Care Cancer. 2021 May;29(5):2289-2298. doi: 10.1007/s00520-020-05869-0. Epub 2020 Nov 13. PMID 33188476