title: Mindfulness significantly reduces self-reported levels of anxiety and depression: results of a randomised controlled trial among 336 Danish women treated for stage I-III breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As the incidence of and survival from breast cancer continue to raise, interventions to reduce anxiety and depression before, during and after treatment are needed. Previous studies have reported positive effects of a structured 8-week group mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) among patients with cancer and other conditions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the effect of such a programme on anxiety and depression among women with breast cancer in a population-based randomised controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 336 women who had been operated on for breast cancer (stage I-III) were randomised to usual care or MBSR+usual care. Questionnaires including the Symptom Checklist-90r anxiety and depression subscales and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale were administered before randomisation and immediately, 6 and 12 months after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intention-to-treat analyses showed differences between groups in levels of anxiety (p=0.0002) and depression (SCL-90r, p<0.0001; CES-D, p=0.0367) after 12 months. Graphical comparisons of participants with higher levels of anxiety and depression at baseline showed a significantly greater decrease in the intervention group throughout follow-up and no differences among least affected participants. Medium-to-large effects were found for all outcomes in the intervention group in analyses of change scores after 12 months' follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 8-week group based MBSR intervention had clinically meaningful, statistically significant effects on depression and anxiety after 12 months' follow-up, and medium-to-large effect sizes. Our findings support the dissemination of MBSR among women with breast cancer. (Clintrials.gov No.: NCT00990977).
authors.affiliation: Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Survivorship, Strandboulevarden 49, DK 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. hannewur@cancer.dk
authors.forename: Hanne
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Würtzen
authors.forename: Susanne Oksbjerg
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Elsass
authors.forename: Antonia D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sumbundu
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steding-Jensen
authors.forename: Randi Valbjørn
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Karlsen
authors.forename: Klaus Kaae
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Henrik L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Flyger
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johansen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015013:Yoga