The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Disease Perception, Body Image, and Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Women with Breast Cancer

Introduction: Cancer and the fear of its recurrence significantly impact individual performance and quality of life. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapy on fear of recurrence, body image, and disease perception in women with breast cancer.Methods: This quasi-experimental study examined the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapy using a pre-test and post-test design with three groups of 15 participants each. The study included women with breast cancer referred to Karaj psychiatric treatment centers in Karaj during the first 6 months of 2022. The data were collected using the Bradbett Disease Perception questionnaire, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), and the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 22. Results: The results indicated that the mean scores for fear of recurrence, body image, and disease perception were higher in the pre-test than in the post-test stages across the cognitive-behavioral therapy group, the mindfulness-based therapy group, and the control group. The mean difference between the cognitive-behavioral therapy group and the control group was 39.31 for fear of recurrence and 56.06 for body image, showing a significant difference (P=0.01). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy led to reduced dissatisfaction decreased body-related concerns, and lower fear of negative evaluation in the experimental group than in the control group.Conclusion: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy could modify body image and reduce the fear of negative evaluation, thereby improving the quality of life for women with breast cancer.