Effectiveness of "Virtual Reality Therapy compound with Aromatherapy" on the Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression and Stress in Renal Patients under Hemodialysis

Introduction: Hemodialysis in chronic renal failure leads to affecting all patients' existential dimensions and the development of anxiety, depression and tension. Considering the significant role of psychological factors in the treatment and improvement of patients, this study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of "virtual reality therapy with aromatherapy" on anxiety, depression and stress of renal patients under hemodialysis. Methods: The present study was a semi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and follow-up with control group. The statistical population of the study was hemodialysis patients in Vali-e-Asr and Bahmanan hospitals in Zanjan. Twenty patients were selected on purpose basis based on entry and exit criteria. Then, 10 patients were randomly assigned to "virtual reality treatment with aromatherapy" and 10 subjects in the control group. To assess the variables in the research, pre-test, post-test and follow-up were used for "Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale" (DASS-21 Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21). The validity of the questionnaire was verified by the counselors and the reliability of the questionnaire was measured using Cronbach's alpha. In order to perform the intervention, patients with virtual reality therapy with aromatherapy for 8 sessions of 1 hour after attachment of the patient to the dialysis machine, a handkerchief dipped with three drops of essential oil of the Lavandula plant was attached to the patient's collar, and the patient was requested to be inadvertently breathing At the same time, at the same time, virtual reality treatment was performed using glasses that were placed on the patient's eyes and the control group did not receive any treatment. Data was analyzed using SPSS. 24 software. Results: The results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that after the intervention, the scores of all three sub-scales of depression, anxiety and tension significantly decreased compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Conclusions: “Virtual Reality Therapy compound with Aromatherapy," is considered as an effective treatment to reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in renal patients under hemodialysis. Therefore, it is recommended that therapists and practitioners use the results of this study to improve the health of patients.