Mindfulness-based interventions for psychological wellbeing and quality of life in men with prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Daniel A. Nnate*, Canice C. Anyachukwu, Sylvester E. Igwe, Ukachukwu O. Abaraogu

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)
168 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly being encouraged for managing treatment-related symptoms but much less is known about the extent to which mindfulness is effective in relieving the psychosocial distress experienced by men with prostate cancer. A systematic review was conducted to synthesise the literature on MBIs for psychological wellbeing and quality of life improvement in men with prostate cancer.
Methods: Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycArticles and Web of Science were searched up to 7th November 2020. Included studies were assessed for quality using appropriate appraisal tools. Homogeneous study results were pooled in a meta-analysis while narrative synthesis was used to summarise the findings from heterogeneous results. Effect size was expressed as Cohen's d (95% confidence intervals) and statistical significance (p-value) was set at 0.05.
Results: Four studies comprising three randomised trials and one non-randomised study met the inclusion criteria. MBIs for men with prostate cancer showed small to moderate effect for improving psychological outcomes. The pooled result of quality of life and post-traumatic growth in study participants showed moderate (d = −0.29 [−1.29, 0.71], p = 0.57) and large (d = 0.77 [−0.33,1.88], p = 0.000) effects, respectively.
Conclusion: MBI is potentially promising for psychological outcomes, quality of life and post-traumatic growth symptoms improvement in men with prostate cancer but recommendations cannot be made based on current evidence due to limited research and inadequate methodological rigour of published literature. Robust research is needed to draw a reliable conclusion about its sustained effect in men with advanced disease.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1680-1690
Number of pages11
JournalPsycho-Oncology
Volume30
Issue number10
Early online date11 Jun 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2021

Keywords

  • meta-analysis
  • post-traumatic growth
  • systematic review
  • psychological distress
  • psycho-oncology
  • anxiety
  • prostate cancer
  • mindfulness-based interventions
  • depression
  • quality of life

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Oncology

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