Psychomotor relaxation in women with breast cancer - an individual intervention

Abstract

Objective: Women with breast cancer experience a multitude of concerns that overwhelm their daily lives, affecting their qual ity of life. Psychomotor relaxation, due to its characteristics, may contribute to an improvement in quality of life, and may be a soft ening response to the effects associated with breast cancer treat ment. To examine effects of relaxation mediated by therapeutic touch on quality of life, and health indicators (pain, anxiety and cortisol concentrations) of women with breast cancer undergoing treatment Methods: 23 adult women with breast cancer participated, ten in control group (CG) and thirteen in experimental group (EG). The EG experienced an individual intervention of relax ation mediated by touch twice a week for eight weeks (40 minutes each session). The EC maintained usual routines. An evaluation of quality of life and health indicators was performed before and after the intervention. Quality of life was assessed through EORTC-QLQ C30, and health indicators with Pain Quality Assessment Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and cortisol concentrations. Results: At the end of the program, the EG verified significant improvements, in the decrease in Fatigue (p=.039) and in perspec tive of Health and Quality of Life (p= .020), and in the decrease in cortisol concentrations (p=.046). There were significant differences in the Perception of Quality of Life (p=0.020) between groups (EG and CG) at the post-intervention moment. It was improved in EG and worsened in CG. Conclusions: The results suggest that relaxation using therapeutic touch may be a beneficial therapeutic approach for the breast cancer treatment phase.