Effects of Abdominal Breathing Training Using Biofeedback on Stress, Immune Response and Quality of Life in Patients with a Mastectomy for Breast Cancer.
10.4040/jkan.2005.35.7.1295
- Author:
Keum Soon KIM
1
;
So Woo LEE
;
Myoung Ae CHOE
;
Myung Sun YI
;
Smi CHOI
;
So Hi KWON
Author Information
1. College of Nursing, Seoul National University. kimks@snu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; English Abstract ; Controlled Clinical Trial
- Keywords:
Biofeedback;
Abdominal breathing;
Immune response;
Quality of life;
Breast cancer
- MeSH:
*T-Lymphocyte Subsets;
Stress, Psychological/psychology/therapy;
*Quality of Life;
Middle Aged;
Mastectomy/*psychology/rehabilitation;
Hydrocortisone/blood;
Humans;
Female;
*Breathing Exercises;
Breast Neoplasms/immunology/*psychology/surgery;
*Biofeedback (Psychology);
Adult
- From:
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
2005;35(7):1295-1303
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: This study was to determine the effects of abdominal breathing training using biofeedback on stress, immune response, and quality of life. METHOD: The study design was a nonequivalent control group pretest- posttest, quasi-experimental design. Twenty-five breast cancer patients who had completed adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled. The experimental group(n=12) was provided with abdominal breathing training using biofeedback once a week for 4 weeks. State anxiety, cancer physical symptoms, serum cortisol, T cell subsets(T3, T4, T8), NK cell and quality of life were measured both before and after the intervention. RESULT: Though state anxiety, cancer physical symptoms, and serum cortisol were reduced after 4 weeks of abdominal breathing training using biofeedback, there was no statistical significance. It showed, however, improvement in quality of life (p=.02), and T3(p=.04). CONCLUSION: Abdominal breathing training using biofeedback improves quality of life in breast cancer patients after a mastectomy. However, the mechanism of this beneficial effect and stress response requires further investigation with special consideration in subject selection and frequency of measurement. Nurses should consider this strategy as a standard nursing intervention for people living with cancer.
