Less Mindful, More Struggle and Growth: Mindfulness, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, and Posttraumatic Growth of Breast Cancer Survivors.
Xiaoyan Liu, Lili Wang, Qian Zhang, Ruifang Wang, Wei Xu
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease August 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000000854 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 202 |
| Population | Chinese breast cancer patients |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Breast neoplasms Adaptation, psychological Stress disorders, post-traumatic Adult Middle aged China Female Surveys and questionnaires Cancer survivors Posttraumatic growth, psychological |
| Key findings | Posttraumatic stress symptoms were significantly positively correlated with posttraumatic growth among Chinese breast cancer patients. Mindfulness mediated rather than moderated the relationship between PTSSs and PTG, suggesting that patients with higher mindfulness may recover from PTSSs through a different process. |
Abstract
Treatment of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) and facilitation of posttraumatic growth (PTG) are two encouraging areas of research, yet little is understood about the relationships between dispositional mindfulness, PTSSs, and PTG. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether PTSSs is correlated with PTG among breast cancer patients in China and explore the role of mindfulness in this relationship. A sample of 202 Chinese breast cancer patients voluntarily participated in the study by completing a set of questionnaires. The results revealed that PTSSs were significantly positively correlated with PTG. Structural equation modeling showed that mindfulness did not moderate but mediated the relation between PTSSs and PTG. These findings indicate that breast cancer patients with higher mindfulness may recover from PTSSs through a different process. Posttraumatic growth may not be the only positive indicator of posttraumatic individuals.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Refugees, Trauma, and Positive Psychological Change: Mindfulness as a Moderator for Posttraumatic Growth. Healthcare February 3, 2026
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy on Posttraumatic Growth and Quality of Life in Patients With Breast Cancer Under Early Chemotherapy Holistic Nursing Practice August 28, 2022
Cites 3
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- The Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory: Extensions, Applications, and Challenges at the Attention–Appraisal–Emotion Interface Psychological Inquiry October 2, 2015
- Effect of mindfulness based stress reduction on immune function, quality of life and coping in women newly diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity August 2008