The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression of Patients with Breast Cancer

 The mental health of patients with cancer can be affected by the disease, treatment stages, and their own personal experiences of acute suffering. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on stress, anxiety, and depression in patients with breast cancer.

 This study was a quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population of the present study was women with breast cancer in the chemotherapy phase who were referred to Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, from May to October 2020. Among 214 women, 40 were chosen using the available method and devided into experimental and control groups (20 women in each group). The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) pre-test was performed for both groups. SPSS software was utilized for statistical analysis. Throughout this study, descriptive statistical indices [mean and standard deviation (SD)] and inferential indices [repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)] were used.

 There was a considerable difference between the scores of stress, depression, and anxiety of the two groups in the field of the efficacy of mindfulness training on stress, anxiety, and stress in women with breast cancer. The levels of depression (F = 26.235, P < 0.001), anxiety (F = 22.374, P < 0.001), and stress (F = 23.416, P < 0.001) were significantly reduced under the influence of this treatment (P < 0.001). Besides, the mindfulness method had a good lasting effect, and the effects of this treatment were stable in the follow-up period of ten days and one month.

 The MBSR effectively reduces stress, depression, and anxiety in women with breast cancer. Therefore, it could be considered that mindfulness as a psychological intervention can help patients facing breast cancer.