Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mindfulness meditation on stress, acceptance, quality of life, and subjective well-being in breast cancer patients. Study participants included 18 breast cancer patients (9 in the experimental group, 9 in the wait-control group)receiving medical care in a hospital. The experimental group completed a mindfulness program consisting of nine 60-minute sessions over a span of 5 weeks. The wait-control group received only the usual medical treatment as provided by the hospital. The CES-D, STAI, SRI-SF, AAQ-Ⅱ, EORTC QLQ-BR23, SWLS, LSES, and PANAS were used as outcomes measures. Effectiveness of the mindfulness treatment program was evaluated at 10-weeks following the end of treatment. Analyses results revealed that anxiety, quality of life (symptoms), and negative emotions were significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to the wait-control group. Life satisfaction, expectation of life satisfaction, and positive emotion was also significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the wait-control group. During the post treatment period, no significant differences in depression stress reaction, acceptance, and positive emotion were found between groups. Based on the 10-week follow-up analyses, in the experimental group,all outcomes were associated with long term gains. These results suggest that mindfulness meditation helps to alleviate anxiety as well as increase subjective well-being among breast cancer patients.