Effectiveness of a nurse-led Mindfulness-based Tai Chi Chuan (MTCC) program on Posttraumatic Growth and perceived stress and anxiety of breast cancer survivors
Jia-Yuan Zhang, Sha‐sha Li, Li-na Meng, Yu-Qiu Zhou
European Journal of Psychotraumatology February 3, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2021.2023314 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 59 |
| Population | Women with stage I–III breast cancer |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based Tai Chi Chuan (MTCC) programme |
| Duration | 8-week intervention (twice a week, one hour per day); follow-up one year after intervention |
| Measures | Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | A nurse-led mindfulness-based Tai Chi Chuan programme increased posttraumatic growth and decreased perceived stress and anxiety in breast cancer survivors compared with a wait-list control, with effects persisting one year after the intervention. The authors describe the findings as preliminary. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Background With the development of positive psychology, posttraumatic growth research on cancer patients has attracted increasing attention from researchers. It is immensely important to effectively increase the posttraumatic growth level of cancer patients and improve their quality of life.
Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of a nurse-led mindfulness-based Tai Chi Chuan (MTCC) programme for increasing posttraumatic growth (PTG) and decreasing the perceived stress and anxiety of breast cancer survivors.
Methods: A RCT was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to either the MTCC group or the control group. The programme included 59 women with stage I–III breast cancer. Participants in the intervention group participated in a nurse-led 8-week, twice a week, one-hour per day mindfulness-based exercise programme. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured three times (T1 – before intervention; T2 – after intervention; T3 – one year after intervention) using validated scales, including the PTG inventory (PTGI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). A repeated-measure analysis of variance model was used to analyse the data.
Results: Compared with the wait-list control group, the PTG level in the MTCC group was much higher after the 8-week intervention and the follow-up (F = 374.98, P < .000). The results showed that MTCC increased the level of PTG, and the effect persisted 1 year after intervention. In addition, PSS (F = 55.22, P < .000) and SAS (F = 148.92, P < .000) scores were significantly decreased at T2 and T3.
Conclusion: The research preliminarily revealed that the MTCC programme was simple, effective, and more suitable to clinical nurses which should be recommended to cancer survivors to promote their recovery. HIGHLIGHTS The posttraumatic growth level of breast cancer survivors may decrease as time goes on. A nurse-led MTCC programme facilitates significant improvements in the posttraumatic growth level of breast cancer survivors.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Mindfulness Intervention for Improving Psychological Wellbeing Among Students During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare 2023
- Complementary and integrative interventions for PTSD. European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2023
- The effect of mindfulness-based Tai Chi Chuan on mobile phone addiction among male college students is associated with executive functions. PLoS One 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
- Adaptation of the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale (CAMS-R) to Indonesian Version and Its Validation: Muslim Mothers-Data Driven Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal July 27, 2022
and 8 more in the library
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- The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on Emotional Health: Potential Mechanisms and Prefrontal Cortex Hypothesis. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2021
- Mindfulness and its efficacy for psychological and biological responses in women with breast cancer. Cancer Medicine May 2017
- The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for survivors of breast cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial Trials April 22, 2016
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