The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Fear of Cancer Progression and Post-Traumatic Growth in Women with Breast Cancer
Aylin Abbasian, Ali Mohammad Bagher, Shahab Moradi
International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture October 22, 2026 DOI: 10.61838/ijbmc.v12i2.940 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test, and control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Women with stage I or II breast cancer recruited from oncology clinics in Sari, Iran |
| Duration | Eight 90-minute sessions; one-month follow-up |
| Measures | Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Breast cancer Fear of progression Post-traumatic growth Psychological intervention |
| Key findings | After controlling for baseline scores, MBCT produced a significant reduction in fear of cancer progression and a significant increase in post-traumatic growth compared with a waitlist control (p < 0.01), with effects stable at one-month follow-up. The authors conclude that MBCT appears effective for psychological distress and adaptive growth in women with breast cancer, and recommend larger, more diverse samples. |
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MBCT in reducing fear of cancer progression and enhancing post-traumatic growth (PTG) among women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and control group design was conducted. Thirty women with stage I or II breast cancer were selected via purposive sampling from oncology clinics in Sari, Iran, and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) or a waitlist control group (n = 15). The intervention group received eight 90-minute sessions of MBCT. FoP was assessed using the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), and PTG was measured using the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Data were analyzed using MANCOVA.
Findings: After controlling for baseline scores, the MBCT group showed a significant reduction in FoP and a significant increase in PTG compared to the control group (p < 0.01). These effects remained stable at a one-month follow-up.
Conclusion: MBCT appears to be an effective intervention for addressing psychological distress and promoting adaptive growth in women with breast cancer. Further research with larger and more diverse samples is recommended to confirm and expand upon these findings.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |