Comparison of the acceptability and benefits of two mindfulness-based interventions in women with breast or gynecologic cancer: a pilot study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the relative benefits and acceptability of two different group-based mindfulness psychotherapy interventions among women with breast and gynecologic cancer.

Methods: Data from 42 women who completed an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program comprising 22 contact hours were compared to data from 24 women who completed a 6-week mindfulness meditation program (MMP) comprising 9 contact hours. Distress, quality of life (QOL), and mindfulness were evaluated pre- (T1) and post-intervention (T2). ANCOVA was used to analyse the relationship between intervention type and T1 score on outcome variable change scores. Participants' perceptions of benefit and acceptability were assessed.

Results: The participants did not differ on clinical or demographic variables other than MBCT participants were more likely than MMP participants to have a past history of anxiety or depression (p = .01). Scores on distress, QOL, and mindfulness improved from T1 to T2 with medium to large effect sizes for the MMP (p=.002, d=.7; p=.001, d=.8; p=.005, d=.6, respectively) and MBCT (p<.001,d = .6; p=.008, d = .4; p<.001, d=.9, respectively) interventions. [correted]. ANCOVA showed no main effect for intervention type on outcome change scores and no interaction between intervention type and respective T1 score. Distress and mindfulness scores at T1 had a main effect on respective change scores (p = .02, ηp (2) = .87; p = .01, ηp (2) = .80, respectively). Both programs were perceived as beneficial and acceptable with no differences between the intervention types.

Conclusions: Within the limits of a small, non-randomized study, these findings provide preliminary support for the utility of a brief mindfulness intervention for improving distress and QOL in a heterogeneous group of women with cancer. Abbreviated interventions are less resource intensive and may be attractive to very unwell patients.