IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i2p248-d198239.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mindful Learning Improves Positive Feelings of Cancer Patients’ Family Caregivers

Author

Listed:
  • Liuna Geng

    (School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Jian Wang

    (School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Liping Cheng

    (School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Binbin Zhang

    (School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China)

  • Hui Shen

    (School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China)

Abstract

Positive feelings are an important health dimension for family caregivers of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Langerian mindfulness is a valid proactive method to increase the positive feelings of family caregivers for cancer patients. Participants were randomly assigned to either a mindfulness group or a mindlessness group and completed the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA) as a measure of caregivers’ feelings before the intervention. Subsequently, both groups were given four sessions of mindfulness training using “innovation classification”. Finally, participants completed the Langer Mindfulness Scale (LMS) and the Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) scale as post-intervention measures. The results revealed that participants in the mindfulness and mindlessness groups differed significantly in LMS and PAC scores, with the mindfulness group having higher levels of positive feelings than those in the mindlessness group. The results also indicated that mindfulness level significantly predicted positive feelings of caregivers. Thus mindful interventions may play a meaningful role in promoting family caregivers’ spirituality and faith, improving the willingness of sharing their thoughts, beliefs, and grief, which could be useful for increasing the positive feelings of caregivers.

Suggested Citation

  • Liuna Geng & Jian Wang & Liping Cheng & Binbin Zhang & Hui Shen, 2019. "Mindful Learning Improves Positive Feelings of Cancer Patients’ Family Caregivers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-9, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:2:p:248-:d:198239
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/2/248/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/2/248/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Northouse, Laurel L. & Mood, Darlene & Templin, Thomas & Mellon, Suzanne & George, Tamara, 2000. "Couples' patterns of adjustment to colon cancer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 271-284, January.
    2. Yu Gao & Lu Shi & Kelly C. Smith & Jeffery B. Kingree & Martie Thompson, 2016. "Physical Aggression and Mindfulness among College Students: Evidence from China and the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-7, May.
    3. Ginette G. Ferszt & Robin J. Miller & Joyce E. Hickey & Fleet Maull & Kate Crisp, 2015. "The Impact of a Mindfulness Based Program on Perceived Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Sleep of Incarcerated Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-14, September.
    4. Nijboer, Chris & Triemstra, Mattanja & Tempelaar, Reike & Sanderman, Robbert & van den Bos, Geertrudis A. M., 1999. "Measuring both negative and positive reactions to giving care to cancer patients: psychometric qualities of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1259-1269, May.
    5. Jesús De la Fuente & Israel Mañas & Clemente Franco & Adolfo J. Cangas & Encarnación Soriano, 2018. "Differential Effect of Level of Self-Regulation and Mindfulness Training on Coping Strategies Used by University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Marta Ramos-Campos & Rosa Redolat & Patricia Mesa-Gresa, 2020. "The Mediational Role of Burden and Perceived Stress in Subjective Memory Complaints in Informal Cancer Caregivers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-15, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Claudia López-Madrigal & Jesús de la Fuente & Javier García-Manglano & José Manuel Martínez-Vicente & Francisco Javier Peralta-Sánchez & Jorge Amate-Romera, 2021. "The Role of Gender and Age in the Emotional Well-Being Outcomes of Young Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Emslie, Carol & Browne, Susan & MacLeod, Una & Rozmovits, Linda & Mitchell, Elizabeth & Ziebland, Sue, 2009. "'Getting through' not 'going under': A qualitative study of gender and spousal support after diagnosis with colorectal cancer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1169-1175, March.
    3. Bar-Tal, Yoram & Barnoy, Sivia & Zisser, Bracha, 2005. "Whose informational needs are considered? A comparison between cancer patients and their spouses' perceptions of their own and their partners' knowledge and informational needs," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(7), pages 1459-1465, April.
    4. Hannah Weyer-Wendl & Peter Walter, 2016. "Financial burden and quality of life of informal caregivers of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Kira S. Van Hof & Arta Hoesseini & Maarten C. Dorr & Irma M. Verdonck-de Leeuw & Femke Jansen & C. René Leemans & Robert P. Takes & Chris H. J. Terhaard & Robert Jan Baatenburg de Jong & Aniel Sewnaik, 2022. "Caregiver Burden, Psychological Distress and Quality of Life among Informal Caregivers of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Kay Chinonyelum Nwamaka Onyechi & Liziana N. Onuigbo & Chiedu Eseadi & Amaka B. Ikechukwu-Ilomuanya & Okechukwu Onyinye Nwaubani & Prince C.I. Umoke & Fedinand U. Agu & Mkpoikanke Sunday Otu & Anthoni, 2016. "Effects of Rational-Emotive Hospice Care Therapy on Problematic Assumptions, Death Anxiety, and Psychological Distress in a Sample of Cancer Patients and Their Family Caregivers in Nigeria," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-14, September.
    7. Astri Syse & Øystein Kravdal, 2007. "Does cancer affect the divorce rate?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 16(15), pages 469-492.
    8. Hodges, L. J. & Humphris, G. M. & Macfarlane, G., 2005. "A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between the psychological distress of cancer patients and their carers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 1-12, January.
    9. Monica Eriksson & Mia M. T. Wennerberg & Solveig M. Lundgren & Ella Danielson, 2017. "“Self-Employed” in Caregivinghood: The Contribution of Swedish Informal Caregivers’ Environmental and Contextual Resistance Resources and Deficits," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-19, July.
    10. Katrin Boström & Gerd Ahlström & Helena Sunvisson, 2006. "Being the Next of Kin of an Adult Person With Muscular Dystrophy," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 15(2), pages 86-104, May.
    11. Maria Graça Pereira & Inês Ribeiro & Hélder Ferreira & Filipa Osório & Cristina Nogueira-Silva & Ana C. Almeida, 2021. "Psychological Morbidity in Endometriosis: A Couple’s Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-13, October.
    12. Manderson, Lenore, 2005. "Boundary breaches: the body, sex and sexuality after stoma surgery," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 405-415, July.
    13. Jan Cameron & David R Thompson & Dion Szer & Johanna Greig & Chantal F Ski, 2017. "Dyadic incongruence in chronic heart failure: Implications for patient and carer psychological health and self‐care," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(23-24), pages 4804-4812, December.
    14. Nur Oktavia Hidayati & Suryani Suryani & Laili Rahayuwati & Berlian Isnia Fitrasanti & Che an Ahmad, 2023. "A Scoping Review of Correctional-Based Interventions for Women Prisoners with Mental Health Problems," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-14, August.
    15. Elaina Vivian & Hellen Oduor & Preeti Girisha & Parvez Mantry, 2021. "Mindfulness at Methodist—A Prospective Pilot Study of Mindfulness and Stress Resiliency Interventions in Patients at a Tertiary Care Medical Center," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-15, April.
    16. Petter Sandstedt & Susanne Littorin & Gunilla Cröde Widsell & Sverker Johansson & Kristina Gottberg & Charlotte Ytterberg & Mariann Olsson & Lotta Widén Holmqvist & Marie Kierkegaard, 2018. "Caregiver experience, health‐related quality of life and life satisfaction among informal caregivers to patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A cross‐sectional study," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(23-24), pages 4321-4330, December.
    17. Lorenza Corti & Carmen Gelati, 2020. "Mindfulness and Coaching to Improve Learning Abilities in University Students: A Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-20, March.
    18. Jesús de la Fuente & Paola Verónica Paoloni & Manuel Mariano Vera-Martínez & Angélica Garzón-Umerenkova, 2020. "Effect of Levels of Self-Regulation and Situational Stress on Achievement Emotions in Undergraduate Students: Class, Study and Testing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-20, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:2:p:248-:d:198239. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.