The Effectiveness of Group Compassion-Focused Therapy on Body Image and Interpersonal Stress among Women with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Breast cancer ranks as the most common cancer among women globally, with over 6% of deaths annually attributed to this disease. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) alters existing emotional patterns, empowering individuals to enhance their self-care and support. It diminishes self-criticism and emotional issues while fostering self-acceptance, thereby improving individuals’ ability to handle their own well-being and interpersonal relationships more effectively in difficult circumstances like breast cancer.

This study aimed to examine the impact of group CFT on body image and interpersonal stress among women with breast cancer. It sought to assess the average scores for body image and interpersonal stress, along with their respective subscales, within the CFT and control groups before, after the intervention, and during the follow-up phase.

The study included 44 women diagnosed with breast cancer, referred to hospitals in Kashan, Iran, in 2022. With informed consent obtained, participants were randomly allocated to the CFT group (n = 22) or the control group (n = 22). They completed the Body Image Scale (BIS) and the Interpersonal Stress Scale (ISS) before treatment, after treatment, and at a 2-month follow-up.

The findings indicated no significant differences in demographic variables (such as age, marital status, employment status, number of children, and education level) between the two groups. Repeated measures of analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis demonstrated that CFT significantly improved body image and reduced interpersonal stress among women with breast cancer.

Compassion-focused therapy proves to be a potentially effective therapeutic strategy for women with breast cancer. Further studies are necessary to comprehensively explore the benefits of CFT for breast cancer patients and its integration into conventional care practices.