The connection between mindfulness levels and life satisfaction among breast cancer patients: the sequential mediating effects of body appreciation and stress perception

Abstract

Background. Research indicates a positive relationship between life satisfaction, mindfulness, and emotional perception. While this connection is observed in a variety of groups, it has been less studied in women with breast cancer. The research investigated correlation among mindfulness, body appreciation, emotional perception, and life satisfaction in Chinese breast cancer patients. Methods. In Xiangyang City, a survey was conducted involving 312 individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. The instruments used for this assessment included the Revised Mindfulness Cognition and Affective Scale (CAMS-R), Body Appreciation Scale (BAS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS). Results. (1) Mindfulness may positively and substantially predict the life satisfaction of breast cancer patients (β = 0.439, P < 0.001); (2) body appreciation (β = 0.152, P < 0.01) and perceived stress (β = −0.183, P < 0.01), respectively, acted as a mediator to the influence of being mindful on fulfillment in life, and (3) mindfulness could also indirectly affect the life satisfaction of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer through the sequential influence of body appreciation and perceived stress. Conclusion. The mediating model has been fitted on cross-sectional data in this research. Breast cancer patients’ life satisfaction is significantly positively predicted by mindfulness, which includes indirect as well as direct outcomes of perceived stress and body appreciation. The connection between mindfulness and overall well-being is partially mediated through body appreciation and also perceived stress, and the chain mediation effect provides additional insight into the connection between mindfulness and overall well-being. Therefore, in clinical practice, mindfulness training can enhance the body appreciation levels of breast cancer patients, reduce their perception of stress, and subsequently improve their overall life satisfaction.