Volume 26, Issue 120, February 2022

The effectiveness of online mindfulness-based cancer recovery program on psychological Variables of colorectal and stomach cancer patients: A randomized control trial

Ahmad Yousefi¹, Abbas Masjedi Arani^2♦, Mojtaba Ghadiany³, Mahdi Jafari⁴, Maryam Aslzaker Lighvan⁵, Behzad Asanjarani⁶, Mohsen Saberi Isfeedvajani⁷

¹Ph.D. candidate, Department of Clinical Psychology, school of medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
²Associate professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, school of medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
³Assistant professor, Department of Hematology and Oncology, school of medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁴MPH, Ph.D. in Health Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁵Assistant professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, school of medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁶Hemato-oncologist, Department of Internal Ward, Amiralam Hospital, Tehran University Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁷MD, Quran and Hadith Research Center & Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

^♦Corresponding author
Associate professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, school of medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an online version of a mindfulness-based recovery program (E-MBCR) on stress, cancer-related fatigue, and sleep disturbances in colorectal and stomach cancer patients. Method: In a randomized controlled trial, 50 cancer patients (34% colon, 28% rectum, 38% stomach) were recruited by convenience sampling from oncology departments of two hospitals and were randomly allocated to intervention (n=25) and control groups (n=25). The experimental group participated in a 9-week online mindfulness-based cancer recovery program. Outcome measures were assessed at three phases (pre-test, post-test, and two-months follow-up) by DASS-21, fatigue symptom subscale of QLQ-C30, and the Insomnia severity index. Results: Mixed linear models revealed significant improvements in cancer-related symptoms, including stress (F=43.01, P=0.00, η2=0.50), fatigue (F=33.40, P=0.00, η2=0.43), and sleep disturbances (F=39.14, P=0.00, η2=0.47), in colorectal and stomach cancer patients. Conclusion: E-MBCR can be considered as having potential utility to ameliorate cancer patients’ psychological disturbances.

Keywords: Mindfulness Cancer Recovery Program, Colorectal cancer, Stomach cancer, fatigue, stress, sleep problems.

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms55e2021

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i120/ms55e2021

Published: 02 February 2022