Meditation effect on psychological stress level in women with breast cancer: a systematic review.
Raquel Vilanova Araújo, Ana Fátima Carvalho Fernandes, Inez Sampaio Nery, Elaine Maria Leite Rangel Andrade, Lídya Tolstenko Nogueira, Francisco Honeidy Carvalho Azevedo
Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P January 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1590/s1980-220x2018031303529 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA systematic review of 22 studies found that meditation techniques—including Mindfulness, Transcendental Meditation, and Contemplative Self-Healing Meditation—significantly reduce psychological stress, post-traumatic stress symptoms, self-reported stress, and chronic stress in women with breast cancer. Some studies also associated meditation with decreased cortisol and increased telomerase. Meditation reduced physical and emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, fear of recurrence, and rumination, representing an effective coping strategy and improving quality of life.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Women with breast cancer |
| Interventions | Mindfulness Transcendental Meditation Contemplative Self-Healing Meditation |
| Key finding | Meditation significantly reduced psychological stress and related symptoms in women with breast cancer, with some evidence of decreased cortisol and increased telomerase. |
Abstract
To evaluate the effect of meditation on the psychological stress level of women with breast cancer. A systematic literature review performed in the LILACS, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and Web of Science databases. The sample consisted of 22 studies using Mindfulness, Transcendental Meditation, and Contemplative Self-Healing Meditation techniques. There was a significant effect of meditation on stress reduction, post-traumatic stress symptoms, self-reported stress, and chronic stress verified. In some studies, the effect was associated with decreased cortisol and increased telomerase. Meditation has shown positive effects in reducing physical and emotional symptoms such as psychological stress, depression, anxiety, fatigue, fear of recurrence and rumination, representing an efficient strategy for coping with the disease and improving quality of life.