The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in depression and serum cortisol levels in women with breast cancer and depressed women

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in depression and serum cortisol levels in women with breast cancer and depressed women. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 30 women with breast cancer who referred to Omid Hospital, Mashhad-Iran and 30 women with depression who referred to counseling clinics of Mashhad in 2020-2021 were selected by the convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to four equal groups (2 experimental groups and 2 control groups). The experimental groups received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy during eight 90-120 minute sessions per week, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Research instruments included the Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the blood samples to evaluate the cortisol levels. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, and the covariance analysis. Results: The results of depressed people demonstrated that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is effective to reduce depression and serum cortisol levels within the normal laboratory range (P< 0.001). Further, the findings of breast cancer women indicated that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduced depression and increased serum cortisol from low to moderate levels within the normal laboratory range (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can be effective in neurobiological mechanisms in addition to improving psychological symptoms in depressed individuals and cancer patients.

Keywords

• cancer
• cortisol
• depression
• mindfulness-based cognitive therapy