The effectiveness of group compassion-focused therapy on difficulty in emotion regulation, pain severity and quality of life among women with breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most prevalent and fatal cancer among women. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group compassion-focused therapy (CFT) on difficulty in emotion regulation, pain, and quality of life in women with breast cancer.

METHOD: The participants were 44 women with breast cancer who had been referred to Yaserbi and Beheshti Hospital in Kashan (Isfahan). After obtaining informed consent, these women were randomly divided into two intervention (n = 22) and control (n = 22) groups, and they were asked to complete the Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Revised McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2) and Quality of Life questionnaire for cancer patients (QLQ-C30) before treatment, after treatment, and at two-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Data analysis using repeated measure ANOVA showed that CFT significantly improves difficulty in emotion regulation, pain intensity, and quality of life of women with breast cancer.

DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that CFT can be an effective approach to reducing psychological symptoms in women with breast cancer.