The effect of recreational therapy application on depression in hemodialysis patients: a randomized clinical trial

Background

Chronic kidney disease is a progressive disorder often leading to End-stage renal disease, necessitating hemodialysis treatment. Mild depression is prevalent among hemodialysis patients, adversely affecting their quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a smartphone-based recreational therapy intervention on mild depression in hemodialysis patients.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial was conducted at Montaserieh Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, involving 72 patients undergoing hemodialysis. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving a custom-designed recreational therapy mobile app (including music, comedy, exercise, and educational content), or the control group, receiving standard care. The trial was registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20220803055608N1). Outcome assessors and statisticians were blinded to minimize bias. Sample size was calculated for an expected effect size of 0.90 with 80% power, resulting in 36 participants per group, adjusted for a 6% attrition rate. Depression levels were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) at baseline and after a 30-day intervention.

Results

A total of 72 patients (36 per group) completed the analysis. The intervention group showed a significant decrease in depression scores compared to the control group (mean BDI-II score reduction: intervention group = 10.3 ± 4.1, control group = 4.6 ± 3.8; p < 0.001). Post-intervention, 86.1% of patients in the intervention group exhibited minimal depression (BDI-II score ≤ 13), compared to 61.1% in the control group (p = 0.005).

Conclusion

The smartphone-based recreational therapy intervention significantly reduced mild depression in hemodialysis patients. This approach can serve as a valuable complementary strategy to manage mild depression in this population. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term sustainability of these benefits and the intervention’s impact on other patient-reported outcomes.

Trial Registration

This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (no. IRCT20220803055608N1) on 28/08/2022.