Effects of basic badminton training on psychological recovery and sense of social belonging in female cancer survivors during rehabilitation

This study aimed to examine the effects of fundamental badminton training on psychological recovery and sense of belonging in female cancer survivors during rehabilitation. There was a randomized controlled trial of 80 women cancer survivors (25-65 years) who had completed their initial cancer treatment in the past 6-24 months. Participants were assigned to a 12-week structured badminton training program (n = 40) or to usual care (n = 40). Bi-weekly sessions of 60 min of badminton intervention were conducted in small groups. Measurements were taken at baseline and following the intervention and at a 3-month follow-up with standardized measures of anxiety, depression, cancer-related fatigue, social connectedness, and quality of life. Results showed statistically significant improvement in the intervention group compared with controls in all markers of psychological recovery of anxiety (F[2,156] = 9.43, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.11), depression (F[2,156] = 8.67, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.10), and cancer-related fatigue (F[2,156] = 10.24, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.12). In addition, significant gains in measures of social connectedness (F[2,156] = 11.24, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.13) and quality of life were seen in the intervention group and were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Strong correlations were seen between gains in markers of psychological recovery and measures of social connectedness (r = −0.64 to −0.71, p < 0.001). These findings provide preliminary evidence that badminton training may enhance psychological recovery and social belonging in female cancer survivors during rehabilitation. However, the absence of active control groups and cultural specificity of findings limit generalizability, warranting further research in diverse populations before clinical implementation.