The Effectiveness of Complementary Therapy as Mind–Body Practice on Quality of Life among Cancer Survivors: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate quality of life (QOL) improvement in long-term cancer survivors using complementary therapy (CT) as mind–body practice. Methods: A quasi-experimental study including intervention and control groups was conducted. Participants in the intervention group engaged in CTs, including music therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep-breathing exercises for 8 weeks at home. QOL was evaluated in both the groups using Short Form-8 (SF-8) questionnaire before the experiment and at 4 and 8 weeks after starting the experiment. To examine QOL, we compared SF-8 subscale scores, the physical and mental component summaries of QOL. Results: Cancer survivors were assigned to the intervention and control groups, comprising 69 and 59 individuals. There were no significant differences in QOL between the two groups with low scores, but there was a significant difference in the mental aspect of QOL in 4 weeks, indicating that the intervention group was lower than the control group. Meanwhile, the intervention group tended to experience increased changes in the mental aspect of QOL in 8 weeks compared to 4 weeks, although there was no significant difference. Conclusions: CT did not exhibit an effect on QOL among cancer survivors, especially in 4 weeks. This might have been due to sample size, participants' potential low compliance resulting in an inability to confirm whether the CTs were performed accurately and continuously, and consideration of what CT suited them. Meanwhile, CT may require a longer time to increase QOL. We recommend further studies to address these factors when conducting CT as mind–body practice.

Keywords

• cancer survivors
• complementary therapy
• mind–body practice
• quality of life