title: Feasibility, acceptability and preliminary psychological benefits of mindfulness meditation training in a sample of men diagnosed with prostate cancer on active surveillance: results from a randomized controlled pilot trial.
abstract: In a pilot randomized controlled trial, examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week, mindfulness training program (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) in a sample of men on active surveillance on important psychological outcomes including prostate cancer anxiety, uncertainty intolerance and posttraumatic growth.
  
  
  
  Men were randomized to either mindfulness (n = 24) or an attention control arm (n = 19) and completed self-reported measures of prostate cancer anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, global quality of life, mindfulness and posttraumatic growth at baseline, 8 weeks, 6 months and 12 months.
  
  
  
  Participants in the mindfulness arm demonstrated significant decreases in prostate cancer anxiety and uncertainty intolerance, and significant increases in mindfulness, global mental health and posttraumatic growth. Participants in the control condition also demonstrated significant increases in mindfulness over time. Longitudinal increases in posttraumatic growth were significantly larger in the mindfulness arm than they were in the control arm.
  
  
  
  While mindfulness training was found to be generally feasible and acceptable among participants who enrolled in the 8-week intervention as determined by completion rates and open-ended survey responses, the response rate between initial enrollment and the total number of men approached was lower than desired (47%). While larger sample sizes are necessary to examine the efficacy of mindfulness training on important psychological outcomes, in this pilot study posttraumatic growth was shown to significantly increase over time for men in the treatment group. Mindfulness training has the potential to help men cope more effectively with some of the stressors and uncertainties associated with active surveillance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.|Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Victorson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Vered
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hankin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weiland
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Carly
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maletich
authors.affiliation: NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sufrin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.|Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schuette
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Bruriah
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.affiliation: NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brendler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods*; D008603:Mental Health; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires