Effects of a five-minute practice on perceived stress and mindfulness among patients with cancer

CANCER IS A SIGNIFICANT GLOBAL HEALTHCARE ISSUE. Cancer and its treatment can often cause undesired side effects that can significantly alter patients’ perceived stress and mindfulness either temporarily or permanently. The emotional and psychological state of patients with cancer during treatment can be fragile. Patients might experience stress that upsets all aspects of their lives, including emotions, behavior, thinking ability, and physical health, all of which can significantly affect the ability to cope during treatment (National Comprehensive Cancer Network [NCCN], 2021). Patients with cancer can use complementary health approaches, such as natural products or mind– body practices, to manage physical symptoms and psychological distress. Therefore, the integration of a nonpharmacologic mind–body practice, such as mindful breathing, is an effective, evidence-based, complementary health approach that can be beneficial to patients without any adverse reactions (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2018). The concept of mindfulness originates from ancient contemplative traditions and has been integrated in a secular way for stress reduction in health care since the 1970s (Harrington & Dunne, 2015). The practice of mindfulness helps individuals to motivate internal resources to openly face issues, to be conscious of and position themselves to overcome pressure, and to push themselves through it (Kabat-Zinn, 2013). Mindfulness creates a psychological distance between an individual’s perception of a stressful stimulus and the resulting response, such as thoughts, actions, and speech. A review by Creswell (2017) found a number of studies that showed the potential benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in different patient populations, as well as in healthy adults and children. In a study by Wu et al. (2019), a systematic, well-defined, group-based, patient-centered psychotherapy educational program that integrated mindful meditation enabled patients to respond positively instead of reacting impulsively with negative emotions. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) place significant emphasis on engaging participants in formal meditative practices, and dialectical behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy incorporate a range of informal mindfulness exercises to approach treatment (Janssen et al., 2018). Mindfulness-based interventions are potentially useful in reducing stress and promoting the well-being of patients during treatment (Wirth et al., 2019). Mindful breathing is a simple mind–body practice that provides a foundation for further mindfulness-based intervention. This practice aims to bring attention and focus on breathing to feel the effects of the breath in the body. KEYWORDS