Carlson, L.E., Speca, M., Patel, K.D., & Goodey, E. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress, and immune parameters in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 571–581.
Didactic, inductive, and experiential modes of learning were used to implement the intervention and convey information to patients. The intervention was provided over the course of eight weekly 90-minute group sessions (maximum of 15 participants per group) as well as a three-hour silent retreat on Saturday between weeks 6 and 7.
Patients received a booklet containing information about each week’s instructions as well as an audiotape with sensate-focused body scan meditation on one side and a guided sitting meditation on the other.
The program was composed of three primary components.
The MBSR intervention did not result in a significant difference for fatigue outcomes between pre- and post-intervention time points. Only 42 patients had complete data for both time points. When comparing the 17 patients with incomplete data to the rest of the sample, participants with complete data were more likely to be married or cohabitating. Non-completers had higher scores than completers on several of the baseline measures for POMS subscale, including depression, anger, and confusion.