The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Improving the Experience of Anger and Self-Compassion in Cancer Patients

Cancer is a potentially fatal and chronic disease that is diagnosed with negative emotions such as anger. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training on improving the experience of anger and self-compassion in cancer patients. This was a semi-experimental study with a control group. The statistical population of this study was cancer patients referred to health centers in Tehran in 1977. Samples were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was trained in mindfulness. The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) were used for data collection. Results of the statistical analysis of anger scores (P< 0.01) and self-compassion (P< 0.001) in the experimental group showed that their condition was better than the control group. Mindfulness can be used to reduce mental health problems and thus to achieve better therapeutic outcomes.