The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Resilience and Life Expectancy of Gastrointestinal Cancers Patients

 Resilience and life expectancy of patients are among the most crucial psychological concepts that have been mentioned in previous research for their importance in effectively dealing with cancer-related problems. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on resilience and life expectancy of gastrointestinal cancers patients.

 The present study is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of the study included patients with various gastrointestinal cancers in Rasht who referred to medical centers (Razi hospital and Beasat clinic) in the period from September to January 2019-2020; 60 participants were selected by random sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention compared to the control group. Research tools included the Connor-Davidson Resilience Questionnaire (Connor & Davidson, 2002) and the Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991). Data were analyzed by SPSS24 by using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

 Based on the findings, mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention improved resilience and life expectancy of the experimental group participants (p<0.01).

 Improving resilience and life expectancy is recognized as a critical part of the cancer treatment process. The present study shows that mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention with emphasis on relaxation techniques such as meditation can be an effective way to improve resilience and life expectancy in patients with gastrointestinal cancers which ultimately lead to increased patient adaptation. Therefore, it is recommended to utilize mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention to enhance coping capability of the cancer patients.