Effects of virtual reality therapy on perceived pain intensity, anxiety, catastrophising and self‐efficacy among adolescents with cancer

Abstract Background Cancer patients suffer from severe pain due to the nature of their disease, the stages of chemotherapy they go through and its side effects, which may ultimately lead to physical impairments and inability to perform daily activities. Objectives The present study aimed to investigate the effect of virtual reality therapy (VRT) on pain variables among 30 adolescents with cancer at the chemotherapy stage. Method This study employed a quasi‐experimental pretest–post‐test design with follow‐up. Thirty adolescents with cancer were selected using a convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent eight 30‐min sessions of VRT once a week for 2 months, while the control group were put on a waiting list. Results Findings revealed that there were significant differences in pain variables between the control and experimental groups ( p < .001). Moreover, the effect of the treatment remained constant during the first and second follow‐up periods. Conclusions Regarding the prevalence of pain indicators and the effect of these variables on the treatment and improvement of the adolescents with cancer during the chemotherapy stage, the use of this technology is recommended.