Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on fatigue and psychological wellbeing in women with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised control trials.
Kairen McCloy, Ciara Hughes, Lynn Dunwoody, Joanne Marley, Jackie Gracey
Psycho-Oncology November 2022 DOI: 10.1002/pon.6046 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,326 |
| Population | Female cancer patients |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based interventions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cancer Meta-analysis Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Mindfulness-based stress reduction Psycho-oncology Systematic review Women |
| Key findings | Across 21 randomized trials, mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduced cancer-related fatigue, depression, and anxiety in female cancer patients, but showed no significant effect on quality of life or sleep. Subgroup analyses indicated little difference in effect by type of mindfulness adaptation, comparator, or intervention length. |
Abstract
Cancer diagnosis and treatment can cause fatigue, stress and anxiety which can have a detrimental effect on patients, families and the wider community. Mindfulness-based interventions appear to have positive effects on managing these cancer-related symptoms. To investigate the efficacy of mindfulness on cancer related fatigue (CRF) and psychological well-being in female cancer patients. Five databases (CINHAL, Ovid Medline, Ovid Psych Info, Scopus, and Cochrane), and two trial registers (WHO and Clinicaltrials.gov) were searched for randomised control trials from inception to April 2021 and updated in August 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4. The standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to determine the intervention effect. Subgroup analysis was performed for adaptation to types of mindfulness, length of intervention and types of comparator used. Twenty-one studies with a total of 2326 participants were identified. Mindfulness significantly improved CRF (SMD -0.81, 95% CI -1.17 to -0.44), depression (SMD-0.74, 95% CI -1.08 to -0.39) and anxiety (SMD -0.92, 95% CI -1.50 to -0.33). No effect was observed for quality of life (SMD 0.32, 95% CI -0.13-0.87) and sleep (SMD -0.65, 95% CI -1.34-0.04). Subgroup analysis revealed that there was little difference in SMD for adapted type of mindfulness (p = 0.42), wait list control compared to active comparator (p = 0.05) or length of intervention (p = 0.29). Mindfulness appears to be effective in reducing CRF and other cancer related symptoms in women. Adaptations to mindfulness delivery did not have negative impact on results which may aid delivery in the clinical settings.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review of Neurocognitive Outcomes and Applications for Mental Health and Well-Being. Journal of Clinical Medicine March 3, 2025
- Mindfulness-based interventions for cancer patients in standard treatment: A meta-analysis of effects on depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Journal of Psychosomatic Research July 5, 2025
- Effects of online mindfulness-based interventions on mental and physical health outcomes in cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine March 21, 2025
- Implementation Readiness and Initial Effects of a Brief Mindfulness Audio Intervention Compared With a Brief Music Control During Daily Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: A Randomized Pilot Study. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health 2024
- The impact of mindfulness intervention on negative emotions and quality of life in malignant tumor patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
and 9 more in the library
Cites 23
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Mindfulness‐based interventions for psychological and physical health outcomes in cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Psycho-Oncology September 11, 2019
- Web-based individual Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for cancer-related fatigue — A pilot study Internet Interventions April 6, 2015
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings June 2022
- Targeting Depressive Symptoms in Younger Breast Cancer Survivors: The Pathways to Wellness Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation and Survivorship Education. Journal of Clinical Oncology November 1, 2021
and 18 more in the library