Heart Rate Variability as a Marker of Distress and Recovery: The Effect of Brief Supportive Expressive Group Therapy With Mindfulness in Cancer Patients

Objectives. We aimed to investigate the effects of brief supportive expressive group therapy with mindfulness for cancer patients and to assess the utility of heart rate variability (HRV) as a biomarker of distress and treatment effect. Methods. A total of 28 female patients with nonmetastatic cancer at a university hospital in South Korea received a 4-week modified group therapy for distress reduction. The BESTMIND (Brief Expression and Support Therapy with Mindfulness) program consisted of supportive–expressive group therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction. The subjective outcomes of distress, anger, sleep quality, and sense of well-being and the physiological outcome of HRV were assessed before and after the program. Results. After the program, patients showed significantly reduced distress, perceived stress, anger, and sleep disturbance and increased quality of life. No significant change was observed in the degree of mindfulness. A significantly increased SD in the normal beat-to-beat intervals and normalized high-frequency (HF 0.15-0.4 Hz) power from spectral analysis were observed after treatment. According to the correlation analyses, HF power correlated with depression scores, and normalized HF power was associated with depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and anger at baseline. The pretreatment and posttreatment comparison indicated that an increase in HF power was associated with a decrease in anger. Conclusions. These results suggest the effectiveness of this modified group-based program for distress reduction and also provide preliminary evidence for the use of HRV as a biomarker of distress and recovery. HF power from HRV variables may serve as a quantitative biomarker of the treatment response of distress management, including anger.

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Effects of short-term existential group therapy for breast Cancer patients

BioPsychoSocial Medicine ◽

10.1186/s13030-021-00225-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chizu Nakamura ◽

Masatoshi Kawase

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Group Therapy ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Well Being ◽

University Hospital ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Short Term ◽

After Cancer

Abstract Objectives Cancer patients who suffer from existential difficulties, including fear of death, isolation, or loss of human relationships, try to accept these fears by exploring the meaning of their life. In particular, early psychological intervention for patients prevents them from psychosocial maladjustment afterwards. Therefore, we have developed the Short-term Existential Group Therapy Program (Short-term EGP) for cancer patients, focusing on relief of existential or spiritual suffering and/or pain. This study aims to statistically evaluate the effects of this program on breast cancer patients within the first year after cancer diagnosis. Methods Thirty-one patients completed our research program. A ninety-minute therapeutic group session was held once a week for 5 weeks. We performed the above assessments three times: just before and after the intervention, as well as a month after the end of intervention. Outcome assessment included measures of spiritual well-being (SELT-M), Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) and Profile of Mood States (POMS). Results The SELT-M “Overall QOL” scores were significantly increased after intervention, and these scores were maintained a month after intervention, particularly in those with high MAC “Hopelessness” scores. Subscales of the SELT-M scores were significantly increased after intervention, and these scores were maintained up to a month after intervention. Conclusion Short-term EGP intervention could be effective in helping patients relieve their existential distress. Some of the treatment effects were maintained a month after the end of the intervention. In addition, Short-term EGP could be particularly effective for those patients who feel hopelessness after cancer diagnosis. Trial registration Retrospectively registered. University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN CTR) UMIN000040651. Registered June 4, 2020.

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Participation in a Yoga Study Decreases Stress and Depression Scores for Incarcerated Women

International Journal of Yoga Therapy ◽

10.17761/2021-d-19-00064 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Traci H. Lundstrom ◽

Courtney A. Rocheleau ◽

Dimpna Flores Guerra ◽

Cynthia A. Erickson

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Stress Reduction ◽

Program Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Incarcerated Women ◽

Control Group ◽

Yoga Intervention ◽

Transient Nature ◽

Before And After ◽

Term Basis

Abstract Incarcerated individuals exhibit a high incidence of stress-related disorders, including addiction and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as the added stress of captivity. Access to stress-reduction tools is limited for these individuals. One possible approach may be regular structured yoga classes. Using two approaches, we tested the effectiveness of a brief, intensive yoga intervention in a population of incarcerated women in a county jail. The first approach was an examination of archival data collected as part of a program analysis. Individuals showed considerable reduction in self-reported stress following a single yoga session. The second approach was an experimental study using a week-long yoga intervention. Thirty-four participants were assigned to either the yoga or control group for the first week. In the second week, the conditions were reversed. Participants were assessed weekly, before and after intervention. Baseline scores revealed high rates of depression, stress, and exposure to traumatic life events compared to normative data. Stress and depression were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale and Beck Depression Inventory, respectively. Compared to controls, participants reported less depression after a week of daily yoga sessions. Perceived stress declined under both control and yoga conditions. Due to the transient nature of the jail institution, it is important to examine interventions that can be provided on a short-term basis. Although there were limitations in this study, the results support the conclusion that the brief yoga intervention had a positive effect on participants’ well-being.

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Effects of Short-term Existential Group Therapy for Breast Cancer Patients

10.21203/rs.3.rs-23102/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chizu Nakamura ◽

Masatoshi Kawase

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Group Therapy ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Well Being ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Short Term ◽

Therapy Program ◽

Before And After ◽

After Cancer

Abstract Objectives: Cancer patients who suffer from existential difficulties, including fear of death, isolation, or loss of human relationships, try to accept these fears by exploring the meaning of their life. In particular, earlier psychological intervention for patients prevents them from psychosocial maladjustment afterwards. Therefore we have developed the Short-term Existential Group therapy Program (Short-term EGP) for cancer patients focusing on relief of existential or spiritual suffering and/or pain. This study aims to statistically evaluate the effects of this program on breast cancer patients within the first year after cancer diagnosis.Methods: 31 patients completed our research program. A ninety-minute therapeutic group session was held once a week for five weeks. We performed the above assessments three times: just before and after the intervention, as well as a month after the end of intervention. Outcome assessment included measures of spiritual well-being (SELT-M), Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) and Profile of Mood States (POMS).Results: The SELT-M “Overall QOL” scores were significantly increased after intervention, and these scores were maintained a month after intervention, particularly in those with high MAC “Hopelessness” scores. Subscales of the SELT-M scores were significantly increased after intervention, and these scores were maintained up to a month after interventionSignificance of Results: We observed that the Short-term EGP intervention was effective in helping patients relieve their existential distresses. Some of the treatment effects were observed to be maintained a month after end of the intervention. In addition, Short-term EGP is particularly effective for those patients who feel hopelessness after cancer diagnosis.Trial registration The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the Department of Psychology of Kyoto Notre Dame University (H22-3,14-008).

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Investigating the Qualities of a Recreational Forest: Findings from the Cross-Sectional Hallerwald Case Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051676 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1676 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Renate Cervinka ◽

Markus Schwab ◽

Daniela Haluza

Keyword(s):

Citizen Participation ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Stress Reduction ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Before And After ◽

As Stress ◽

Health And Well Being

Prior research shows that forests contribute to human health and well-being. In this sense, this cross-sectional case study, adopting the principles of citizen science, assessed the restorative potential of places in the Hallerwald, an Austrian community forest. A convenience sample of adult forest visitors (n = 99, 64% females) completed a survey during a guided 2.5 h forest tour. The German questionnaire assessed the qualities of defined places in the forest. We also investigated changes in mood states, perceived stress, restoration, connectedness, and mindfulness before and after visiting the forest. In cooperation with a local working group, we developed the new Widen One’s Mind (WOM) scale, which showed good scale characteristics. All places received high scores in their potential to increase restoration and vitality and to widen one’s mind. Positive affect, restoration, connectedness with nature and the forest, and mindfulness increased pre- versus post-visits, whereas negative affect and perceived stress decreased. The findings of this study suggest that in recreational forests, visitors experience beneficial mental effects such as stress reduction in addition to physical exercise. To facilitate regional development goals, we recommend evaluating places in forests regarding the potential effects on the health and well-being as well as citizen participation before initiating extensive remodeling.

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Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Stress, Heart Rate Variability, Affect, and Wellbeing among People with Schizophrenia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182211871 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (22) ◽

pp. 11871

Author(s):

Ae Sil Kim ◽

Mi Heui Jang ◽

Min Jung Sun

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Stress Reduction ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Control Group ◽

Reduction Program ◽

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ◽

Experimental Group

Mindfulness-based stress reduction programs have been found to be effective in reducing the stress response and improving the psychological wellbeing of various populations. We aimed to confirm the effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program on perceived stress, heart rate variability, positive and negative affect, and subjective wellbeing of community-dwelling people with schizophrenia. The participants in this study were 26 people with schizophrenia (experimental group: 14, control group: 12) enrolled in two community mental health centers located in Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. In the experimental group, the mindfulness-based stress reduction program was applied once a week for 60 min over 8 weeks. The experimental group showed a significantly greater decrease in perceived stress and negative affect, as well as significantly greater improvement in heart rate variability than the control group. The mindfulness-based stress reduction program was an effective nursing intervention to reduce stress and negative affect in people with schizophrenia.

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Effects of Short-term Existential Group Therapy for Breast Cancer Patients

10.21203/rs.3.rs-23102/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chizu Nakamura ◽

Masatoshi kawase

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Group Therapy ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Well Being ◽

University Hospital ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Short Term ◽

After Cancer

Abstract Objectives: Cancer patients who suffer from existential difficulties, including fear of death, isolation, or loss of human relationships, try to accept these fears by exploring the meaning of their life. In particular, earlier psychological intervention for patients prevents them from psychosocial maladjustment afterwards. Therefore we have developed the Short-term Existential Group therapy Program (Short-term EGP) for cancer patients focusing on relief of existential or spiritual suffering and/or pain. This study aims to statistically evaluate the effects of this program on breast cancer patients within the first year after cancer diagnosis.Methods: 31 patients completed our research program. A ninety-minute therapeutic group session was held once a week for five weeks. We performed the above assessments three times: just before and after the intervention, as well as a month after the end of intervention. Outcome assessment included measures of spiritual well-being (SELT-M), Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) and Profile of Mood States (POMS).Results: The SELT-M “Overall QOL” scores were significantly increased after intervention, and these scores were maintained a month after intervention, particularly in those with high MAC “Hopelessness” scores. Subscales of the SELT-M scores were significantly increased after intervention, and these scores were maintained up to a month after interventionSignificance of Results: We observed that the Short-term EGP intervention was effective in helping patients relieve their existential distresses. Some of the treatment effects were observed to be maintained a month after end of the intervention. In addition, Short-term EGP is particularly effective for those patients who feel hopelessness after cancer diagnosis.Trial registration Rretrospectively registered. University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN CTR) UMIN000040651. Registered June 4, 2020.

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