The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Death-Related Distress, Psychological Hardiness, and Psychological Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

Background and objectives: Breast cancer patients frequently experience significant psychological distress, including death anxiety, depression, and a decline in psychological hardiness. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in reducing death-related distress, enhancing psychological hardiness, and mitigating psychological symptoms in breast cancer patients.

Methods: This semi-experimental study used a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population of the research included women diagnosed with breast cancer who were treated at the Women's Cancer Specialist Center of Khatamol-Anbiya in Tehran in 2023 30 individuals were selected and equally divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group, each comprising 15 participants. The participants were purposefully selected and then randomly assigned to their respective groups. The experimental group underwent mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and the control group received no specific intervention.  Data was collected through the use of Death Anxiety Scale (DAS; Templer et al., 1970), Death Depression Scale (DDS; Templer et al., 1990), Lang and Goulet Psychological Hardiness Scale (LGPH; Lang et al., 2003), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). Data were collected using univariate, multivariate analysis and repeated covariance measures in SPSS version 26 for analysis.

Results: Results showed that MBCT effectively reduces death anxiety (P = 0.001, F = 15.63), death depression (P = 0.004, F = 21.56), and psychological symptoms (P = 0.001, F = 47.36) and enhances psychological hardiness (P = 0.004, F = 4.65) in breast cancer patients.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that MBCT significantly reduces death-related distress, enhances psychological hardiness, and alleviates psychological symptoms.  These positive outcomes suggest that MBCT can be a valuable therapeutic tool for improving the overall well-being of breast cancer patients.