The Effect of Virtual Reality Goggles on Perceived Stress, Anxiety, and Fatigue in Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units

This study aims to evaluate the effect of a Virtual Reality (VR)-based relaxation intervention on perceived stress, anxiety, and fatigue levels among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. The ICU environment is characterized by high-intensity workloads and emotional demands, which often lead to increased psychological and physical strain on nursing staff

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Intensive Care Nurses
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: virtual reality glasses

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Center
    • Elâzığ, Center, Turkey (Türkiye), 25240
      • Fırat university

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• • Being 18 years of age or older

  • Actively working in the intensive care unit of the relevant hospital for at least six months,
  • Working on an alternating shift basis (such as 24-hour work - 24-hour rest) during the research period,

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having neurological disorders (epilepsy, migraine, vertigo, etc.) that may cause loss of balance or severe nausea during the virtual reality application,
• Being required to wear prescription glasses due to the technical structure of the VR headset (physical compatibility of the device),
• Having previously experienced any virtual reality (VR) application

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experiment Group; Virtual Reality Glasses Group	Behavioral: virtual reality glasses; The group that made the virtual reality headset
No Intervention: Control group; the group that did not make virtual reality glasses

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Perceived Stress Scale-10	Developed to assess the level of stress individuals have perceived in their lives over the past month. The scale, developed by Sheldon Cohen et al., consists of 10 items. It is a 5-point Likert scale, with items scored from "0=Never" to "4=Very often". Items 4, 5, 7, and 8 are reverse-scored. The total score obtainable from the scale ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating a high level of perceived stress. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Ersin Eskin et al.	after the 3 consecutive days of intervention
State Anxiety Scale	The State Anxiety Scale developed by Spielberger et al. aims to measure the level of anxiety experienced by individuals at a specific time and under specific conditions. Validity and reliability studies of the scale in Turkey were conducted by Öner and Le Comte (Öner and Le Comte, 1983). The SAS consists of 20 items and is designed to assess situational anxiety. The scale has a 4-point Likert-type response format, with scores ranging from 20 to 80; higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of the SAS in the original study was found to be 0.94 (Öner and Le Comte, 1983). In this study, the Cronbach alpha coefficient was found to be 0.93.	after the 3 consecutive days of intervention
Fatigue Severity Scale	Developed to assess the impact and severity of fatigue on daily life in individuals. The scale was developed by Krupp et al. Consisting of 9 items, the scale uses a 7-point Likert scale, with items scored between 1 (strongly disagree) and 7 (strongly agree). The total score or item mean obtained from the scale indicates the severity of fatigue; higher scores indicate a higher level of fatigue. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Armutlu et al.	after the 3 consecutive days of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Firat University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 9, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Virtual Reality Glasses
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024/03-21

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No