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Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reduces pain and psychological distress, and improves equanimity, hope and post-traumatic growth during breast cancer treatment: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
March 25, 2025
Mohsen Arefian et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a shortened Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) program in managing pain, psychological distress, and improving positive psychological outcomes in women with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Results Summary

The MiCBT group showed significant reductions in pain, psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress), and improvements in equanimity, hope, and post-traumatic growth compared to the treatment-as-usual group, with effects sustained at 2-month follow-up.

Population

Women with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Effective Dosage

4-week MiCBT program (progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness of breath, body scanning, mindfulness-based interoceptive exposure task for pain).

Duration

4 weeks.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (9)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
decrease
pain
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = 1.58
larger and significant reductions
#1
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
decrease
psychological distress
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = .99
larger and significant reductions
#2
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
decrease
depression
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = 1.59
larger and significant reductions
#3
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
decrease
anxiety
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = 1.13
larger and significant reductions
#4
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
decrease
stress
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = 1.68
larger and significant reductions
#5
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
increase
equanimity
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = 1.61
improvements
#6
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
increase
hope
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = 1.06
improvements
#7
shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT)
increase
post-traumatic growth
patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy
d = .6
improvements
#8
four-week MiCBT intervention
increase
daily experiences
women with BC undergoing chemotherapy
-
can improve
#9
Abstract

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a shortened version of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) in managing pain and psychological distress (including depression, anxiety, and stress), improving equanimity, hope, and post-traumatic growth in patients with Stage I-III breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 42 women were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 21) or a treatment-as-usual (TAU) (n = 21). All participants completed a battery of assessments for pain, emotional distress, hope, equanimity, and post-traumatic growth before and after the intervention, as well as at the 2-month follow-up. The intervention consisted of a short (4-week) MiCBT program, which involved progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness of breath, body scanning, and the mindfulness-based interoceptive exposure task (MIET) for pain. The program was conducted over four consecutive weeks. RESULTS: Compared with the TAU group, at post-treatment, the MiCBT group experienced larger and significant reductions in pain (d = 1.58), psychological distress (d = .99), depression (d = 1.59), anxiety (d = 1.13), and stress (d = 1.68), as well as improvements in equanimity (d = 1.61), hope (d = 1.06), and post-traumatic growth (d = .6) (p's < .5). These differences remained significant at 2-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary evidence that a four-week MiCBT intervention can improve the daily experiences of women with BC undergoing chemotherapy. Further research using larger samples and active control is needed to determine the generalizability of the results.

Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score2.50
Normalized Score0.69
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