Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on
improving quality of life, emotional distress, and pain intensity among women with breast cancer.
Methods: In this semi-experimental research, a pretest-post-test design with a control group (unequal) was used. Its statistical
population included all women with breast cancer in Sirjan city in 2021. Forty women with breast cancer in Sirjan city in 2021
were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group.
At first, a pre-test was taken from both groups. Then, mindfulness-based stress reduction training was implemented for the
experimental group, and no intervention was performed for the control group. To collect data, the quality-of-life questionnaire
of the World Health Organization and the emotional distress questionnaire were used. The research data were analyzed using
covariance analysis.
Results: The quality-of-life scores in the experimental group increased from 20.54 in the pre-test phase to 85.97 in the post-test
phase and decreased from 48.85 to 39.05 in the control group. The emotional distress score in the experimental group decreased
from 100.05 in the pre-test to 51.40 in the post-test stage. In the control group, the emotional distress decreased from 107.1 in
the pretest to 103.7 in the post-test stage. Also, in the experimental group, the pain intensity scores decreased from 8.60 in the
pre-test to 4.35 in the post-test. In the control group, the pain intensity decreased from 7.20 in the pre-test to 7.80 in the post-test.
Conclusion: Stress reduction methods based on mindfulness can be effective in the quality of life, emotional distress, and pain
intensity in women with breast cancer. According to the results, it seems necessary for nurses, doctors, and patients to cooperate
with psychologists to carry out interventions.