Virtual Social Interaction and Psychological Capital in Chemotherapy Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
4 affiliations
- 1Student Research Committee, Nursing Care Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R. Iran.
- 2Nursing Care Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R. Iran.
- 3Faculty of Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Branch, Tonekabon, I.R. Iran.
- 4Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R. Iran.
Abstract
Background
Cancer-related psychological distress remains underaddressed globally. Virtual interventions offer promising alternatives but lack evidence for enhancing Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in chemotherapy patients.Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a virtual social interaction intervention on PsyCap in patients undergoing chemotherapy.Methods
This single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) enrolled 76 chemotherapy patients hospitalized in the oncology ward of Imam Sajjad Hospital, Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and then allocated to intervention or control groups using an odd-even (alternating) assignment method. The intervention group participated in 6 weeks of virtual social interactions, consisting of asynchronous materials (recorded audio, short videos, images, PDF, and PowerPoint files) uploaded weekly to Iranian messaging platforms (Eitaa), as well as live synchronous group sessions conducted on the Skyroom platform with a minimum of 10 participants per session. The control group received standard care. The PsyCap was measured using Luthans' Psychological Capital Questionnaire at both baseline and post-intervention. The Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) models (A/B) were adjusted for baseline scores and age.Results
The intervention group showed improvements across all outcomes, with the total PsyCap score increasing by 23.6 points. Components significantly increased: self-efficacy by 5.8 points, resilience by 5.8, hope by 5.5, and optimism by 6.5 (p < 0.0001). ANCOVA models confirmed robust effects after adjusting for baseline scores and age (Δ SMD > 1).Conclusions
Virtual social interactions significantly enhance PsyCap in chemotherapy patients. However, to confidently generalize these findings and make recommendations, similar studies need to be conducted and replicated in larger, multicenter trials.
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BibTeX
@article{rafat2026virtual,
title = {{Virtual Social Interaction and Psychological Capital in Chemotherapy Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.}},
author = {Masome Rafat and Ali Pourhabib and Amaneh Mahmoudian and Shahrbanoo Keyhanian and Zahra Fotokian and Farzan Kheirkhah},
journal = {Cancer medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/cam4.72419},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952229},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Virtual Social Interaction and Psychological Capital in Chemotherapy Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AU - Masome Rafat
AU - Ali Pourhabib
AU - Amaneh Mahmoudian
AU - Shahrbanoo Keyhanian
AU - Zahra Fotokian
AU - Farzan Kheirkhah
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Cancer medicine
DO - 10.1002/cam4.72419
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952229
AB - Background Cancer-related psychological distress remains underaddressed globally. Virtual interventions offer promising alternatives but lack evidence for enhancing Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in chemotherapy patients.Objective This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a virtual social interaction intervention on PsyCap in patients undergoing chemotherapy.Methods This single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) enrolled 76 chemotherapy patients hospitalized in the oncology ward of Imam Sajjad Hospital, Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and then allocated to intervention or control groups using an odd-even (alternating) assignment method. The intervention group participated in 6 weeks of virtual social interactions, consisting of asynchronous materials (recorded audio, short videos, images, PDF, and PowerPoint files) uploaded weekly to Iranian messaging platforms (Eitaa), as well as live synchronous group sessions conducted on the Skyroom platform with a minimum of 10 participants per session. The control group received standard care. The PsyCap was measured using Luthans' Psychological Capital Questionnaire at both baseline and post-intervention. The Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) models (A/B) were adjusted for baseline scores and age.Results The intervention group showed improvements across all outcomes, with the total PsyCap score increasing by 23.6 points. Components significantly increased: self-efficacy by 5.8 points, resilience by 5.8, hope by 5.5, and optimism by 6.5 (p < 0.0001). ANCOVA models confirmed robust effects after adjusting for baseline scores and age (Δ SMD > 1).Conclusions Virtual social interactions significantly enhance PsyCap in chemotherapy patients. However, to confidently generalize these findings and make recommendations, similar studies need to be conducted and replicated in larger, multicenter trials.
SN - 2045-7634
ER -