Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors
Background The majority of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) experience body image concerns following treatment. Body Image distress (BID) is associated with psychological distress and diminished quality of life. A web-based self-compassion focused writing activity (My Changed Body – MyCB) reduces BID...
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2021-01-01
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doaj-da702b6b483e46ce9aa1684c1dc0a6b52021-06-02T08:43:40ZengTaylor & Francis GroupHealth Psychology and Behavioral Medicine2164-28502021-01-019149852610.1080/21642850.2021.19292361929236Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivorsAngela Mifsud0Melissa J. Pehlivan1Paul Fam2Maddison O’Grady3Annamiek van Steensel4Elisabeth Elder5Jenny Gilchrist6Kerry A. Sherman7Macquarie UniversityMacquarie UniversityMacquarie UniversityMacquarie UniversityMacquarie UniversityWestmead Breast Cancer Institute, Westmead HospitalMacquarie University HospitalMacquarie UniversityBackground The majority of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) experience body image concerns following treatment. Body Image distress (BID) is associated with psychological distress and diminished quality of life. A web-based self-compassion focused writing activity (My Changed Body – MyCB) reduces BID in BCSs, yet limited research exists on participant characteristics associated with such intervention adherence. Self-compassion-based meditations are also efficacious in reducing BID in non-BCS populations. This parallel, double-blind pilot randomised controlled trial aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of MyCB, with and without an additional meditation component, on BID and related psychological outcomes in BCSs. The trial was registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (#ACTRN12619001693112). Methods BCSs were randomly allocated to MyCB (n = 39), MyCB + Meditation (MyCB + M) (n = 17) or an expressive writing (EW) active control arm (n = 23). The primary outcome was BID. Secondary outcomes were body appreciation, affect (positive and negative), psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) and self-compassion (state and trait). Assessments were completed online at baseline, post-intervention and 1-month. Results Adherence to the MyCB writing (45%) and meditation (50%) was modest, and acceptability was high for both MyCB and MyCB + M. Intent to treat linear mixed model analyses indicated: Post-intervention – state self-compassion and positive affect increased for MyCB compared to EW; 1-month: BID scores decreased across all conditions; trait self-compassion increased and anxiety decreased for MyCB + M compared to MyCB and EW. Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy and potential clinical use of the MyCB brief web-based self-compassion intervention alone and with the addition of meditation, to increase self-compassion and psychological wellbeing in BCSs.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2021.1929236breast cancerself-compassionbody imagee-health interventionfeasibility |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Angela Mifsud Melissa J. Pehlivan Paul Fam Maddison O’Grady Annamiek van Steensel Elisabeth Elder Jenny Gilchrist Kerry A. Sherman |
spellingShingle |
Angela Mifsud Melissa J. Pehlivan Paul Fam Maddison O’Grady Annamiek van Steensel Elisabeth Elder Jenny Gilchrist Kerry A. Sherman Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine breast cancer self-compassion body image e-health intervention feasibility |
author_facet |
Angela Mifsud Melissa J. Pehlivan Paul Fam Maddison O’Grady Annamiek van Steensel Elisabeth Elder Jenny Gilchrist Kerry A. Sherman |
author_sort |
Angela Mifsud |
title |
Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors |
title_short |
Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors |
title_full |
Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors |
title_fullStr |
Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors |
title_full_unstemmed |
Feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors |
title_sort |
feasibility and pilot study of a brief self-compassion intervention addressing body image distress in breast cancer survivors |
publisher |
Taylor & Francis Group |
series |
Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine |
issn |
2164-2850 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
Background The majority of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) experience body image concerns following treatment. Body Image distress (BID) is associated with psychological distress and diminished quality of life. A web-based self-compassion focused writing activity (My Changed Body – MyCB) reduces BID in BCSs, yet limited research exists on participant characteristics associated with such intervention adherence. Self-compassion-based meditations are also efficacious in reducing BID in non-BCS populations. This parallel, double-blind pilot randomised controlled trial aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of MyCB, with and without an additional meditation component, on BID and related psychological outcomes in BCSs. The trial was registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (#ACTRN12619001693112). Methods BCSs were randomly allocated to MyCB (n = 39), MyCB + Meditation (MyCB + M) (n = 17) or an expressive writing (EW) active control arm (n = 23). The primary outcome was BID. Secondary outcomes were body appreciation, affect (positive and negative), psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) and self-compassion (state and trait). Assessments were completed online at baseline, post-intervention and 1-month. Results Adherence to the MyCB writing (45%) and meditation (50%) was modest, and acceptability was high for both MyCB and MyCB + M. Intent to treat linear mixed model analyses indicated: Post-intervention – state self-compassion and positive affect increased for MyCB compared to EW; 1-month: BID scores decreased across all conditions; trait self-compassion increased and anxiety decreased for MyCB + M compared to MyCB and EW. Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy and potential clinical use of the MyCB brief web-based self-compassion intervention alone and with the addition of meditation, to increase self-compassion and psychological wellbeing in BCSs. |
topic |
breast cancer self-compassion body image e-health intervention feasibility |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2021.1929236 |
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