19.1.12

Breast Cancer and Mindfulness

Yaowarat Matchim of the Prince of Songkla University Thailand and colleagues found that breast cancer survivors’ health improved after they learned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a type of mindfulness training that incorporates meditation, yoga, and physical awareness. Jane Armer and Bob Stewart, researchers at University of Missouri who also involved in this study say a meditation technique can help breast cancer survivors improve their emotional and physical well-being.

They examine the effects of a MBSR program on physiological and psychological outcomes among early-stage breast cancer survivors. A quasi-experimental, pre-and posttest control group design was selected. The intervention group received the MBSR intervention. The control group received no MBSR intervention. ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to analyze data. The intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvement in physiological and psychological outcomes including reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate and increased mindfulness state at the level of p = .05 to p = .001. The effects of MBSR on reducing stress in this sample were statistically significant on the physiological outcome (morning cortisol) at the measurement after the intervention completion, but this effect was not sustained at 1-month follow-up. MBSR showed a trend toward improving psychological outcomes by reducing mood disturbance in this sample.
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Matchim, Y., Armer, J.M., & Stewart, B.R. (2011). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Health Among Breast Cancer Survivors. West J Nurs Res December 2011 33: 996-1016.

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