Mindfulness: Existential, Loss, and Grief Factors in Women with Breast Cancer
Abstract
Although a plethora of studies exist as to the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions with cancer patients, existential, loss, and grief factors are absent. The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to add to the literature by exploring the pre-post effects of an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention on existential well-being, summed self-identified losses, and grief scores as well as assess mental adjustment to cancer; also, 6-month follow-up data as to intervention maintenance were obtained. Sixty-five women, all of whom had been diagnosed with breast cancer within the past 12 months, participated in this study. The data indicated significant improvements for existential well-being, number of self-identified losses, grief scores as well as three mental adjustment styles. Six-month follow-up revealed that of the 58 responding participants, 88% were maintaining mindfulness strategies at varying schedules on a weekly basis with mindfulness-based walking as the preferred strategy. This is the first known mindfulness-based intervention study to investigate existential, loss, and grief factors in those with cancer. Further investigations earnestly are needed in this area to provide full psychosocial care to those confronting cancer.
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Further constructs measured were meaning in life and self-compassion or self-kindness, both with mixed results.
“Further constructs measured were meaning in life 58 and self -compassion or self -kindness, 51,53 both with mixed results.”
From How do mindfulness-based interventions promote coping and self-efficacy in patients with cancer: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative data (2024) · cites this paper as [58]
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- Authors
- Tacón, A. M.
- Affiliations
- Texas Tech University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tacón, A. M.
- Venue
- Journal of Psychosocial Oncology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2011-10
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 643-656
- ISSN
- 0734-7332 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-7586
- OpenAlex
- W2002704580
- Cited by
- 37
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Psychosocial Oncology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- mindfulness-based interventions, breast cancer, women with cancer, existential well-being, loss, grief, mental adjustment to cancer, intervention maintenance, psychosocial care
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Breast Neoplasms, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Grief, Humans, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Meditation
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