Comparing the Effects of Spiritual Counseling Based on the Sound Heart Model with Mindfulness Training on the Quality of Life of Women with Breast Cancer

Improving the quality of life in cancer patients requires holistic and community-based interventions. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of spiritual counseling based on the sound heart model and mindfulness training in improving the quality of life of women with breast cancer.

This clinical trial was performed with two experimental groups on women with breast cancer at Baqiyatallah Hospital, Tehran. Thirty eligible volunteer patients were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to either spiritual counseling or mindfulness training. The interventions were performed in 8 sessions, 30 to 45 minutes, face to face. The quality of life questionnaire was completed by the subjects before and after the intervention. Data were entered in SPSS software (version 22.0). Because the normality of data distribution was not met, the Wilcoxon nonparametric test was used to compare the baseline and postintervention data in each group. In order to compare the effectiveness of the two methods of intervention, we calculated the mean difference in quality of life for each group and used the Mann-Whitney U test to compare the data.

The Wilcoxon test showed that both interventions were effective in improving quality of life (P < 0.001). The Mann-Whitney U test showed that spiritual counseling had a greater effect on quality of life than mindfulness training (P < 0.001).

Considering the greater effect of spiritual counseling on the patients’ quality of life, in comparison with mindfulness training, it is recommended that spiritual therapy be used in the treatment of cancer patients as a means of strengthening the adaptation ability, reducing spiritual distress, and increasing the quality of life of patients.