Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Pain and Fatigue in Women with Breast Cancer

Aims: Pain and fatigue are common in women with breast cancer. Mindfulness-based stress reduction training has shown varying results regarding pain and fatigue scores. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on pain and fatigue in women with breast cancer in Yazd, Iran. Materials Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 56 women with breast cancer in Yazd City, Iran. Using a simple randomization method, participants were assigned to the intervention and control groups (28 patients per group). Mindfulness-based stress reduction training was conducted via WhatsApp in eight virtual sessions for the intervention group. Data were collected using an electronic demographic form and the Fatigue Severity Scale Questionnaire (FSS) and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) before the intervention, immediately after the intervention (week eight), and four weeks after the intervention (week 12). Descriptive statistics and both parametric and nonparametric analyses were performed using SPSS 16 software. Findings: There was no significant difference in demographic and clinical characteristics between the groups. The mean fatigue score of the intervention group improved at week eight compared to the control group (p 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the average pain score after the intervention, although a decreasing trend was observed (p 0.05). Conclusion: MBSR training reduces fatigue in women with breast cancer, and although it decreases pain, this reduction is not significant.