An examination of the effectiveness of mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy on depression, anxiety, stress and sleep quality in Iranian women with breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial
Mahboobeh Soleymani Moghadam, A. Parvizifard, Aliakbar Foroughi, Seyed Mojtaba Ahmadi, N. Farshchian
Scientific Reports April 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85745-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Women with breast cancer |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MICBT) self-help (an educational book) |
| Duration | Pre-test, post-test, and two-month follow-up |
| Measures | Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy reduced depression, anxiety, and stress and improved sleep quality in women with breast cancer compared with a self-help control, with mean scores decreasing significantly on all measures from pre-test to post-test. |
Abstract
Breast cancer causes numerous physical complications and mental stress that negatively impact patients’ performance and quality of life. This study examined the effects of mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MICBT) on depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality in women with breast cancer. A clinical trial design with pre-tests and post-tests and a two-month follow-up were used in the current study. The target population was women with breast cancer, 30 of whom were selected through purposeful sampling. Then, 15 participants were placed in the intervention group and 15 in the control group with four random blocks. Those in the intervention group received mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy, while those in the control group received self-help (an educational book). Demographic questionnaires, the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean and standard deviation, repeated measures ANOVA, and the Bonferroni test were used to analyze the data. The maximum alpha error level was considered 0.05 to test the hypotheses (p ≥ 0.05). The results showed the effectiveness of MICBT therapy on depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality (p < 0.05). The mean scores decreased in all variables, including from 15.47 ± 1.77 in the pre-test to 11.33 ± 4.25 in the post-test for depression, from 13.20 ± 2.60 in the pre-test to 8.67 ± 4.19 in the post-test for anxiety, from 19.73 ± 1.98 in the pre-test to 14.67 ± 2.69 in the post-test for stress and from 9.20 ± 1.74 in the pre-test to 5.07 ± 2.05 in the post-test for sleep quality. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that MICBT therapy is effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress and improving sleep quality in women with breast cancer. Therefore, it is recommended that affected women use psychological treatments such as MICBT in addition to medical treatments to deal with this stressful and challenging disease. MICBT can improve mood, offer a new cognitive and behavioral system, change patients’ habits and thought patterns, and improve their lifestyle.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 16
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences December 21, 2018
- Mindfulness is associated with improved psychological well-being but no change in stress biomarkers in breast cancer survivors with depression: a single group clinical pilot study. BMC Women's Health December 12, 2022
- The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and cancer-related fatigue in oncology patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis PLoS One July 14, 2022
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Breast Cancer Survivors with Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial Pain Research and Management July 7, 2022
and 11 more in the library