Effect of Compassion-Focused Therapy on Body Image and Marital Satisfaction in Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of compassion focused therapy on body image and marital satisfaction in women with breast cancer. Methods : This research utilized a pre-test and post-test semi-experimental design with a control group. A total of 30 subjects were selected from women with breast cancer presenting to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran in 2017. They were then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n=15 for each group). The experimental group received a compassion focused therapy for eight sessions of 90 minutes, but the control group did not receive any intervention. The research instruments were body image questionnaire of Cash (2000) and Enrich marital inventory of Fowlers and Olson (1989). Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The mean post-test scores of the experimental group in the components of the body image were apparent evaluation (P<0.043), apparent tendency (P<0.006), fit assessment (P<0.001), tendency to fit (P<0.001), appearance assessment (P<0/030), health tendency (P<0.001), tendency to disease (P<0.001), satisfaction of body parts (P<0.001), mental retardation with overweight (P<0.001)), Selfclassification of weight (P<0.003) is less than the mean post-test scores of the control group (P<0.05). Also, the experimental and control groups have a significant difference in terms of marital satisfaction components (P<0.05), personality issues (P<0.001), marital relationship (P<0.007), solving in contractual response components (P<0.02), satisfaction (P<0.001), financial management (P<0.001), time and leisure (P<0.002), sexual relations (P<0/01), parenting (P<0.001), relatives and relatives (P<0.001)), Male and female equality (P<0.014), ideological orientation (P<0.007), the experimental group was significantly more than marital satisfaction in the control group (P=0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that compassion focused therapy can affect the body image and marital satisfaction in women with breast cancer.

Comparison of the effectiveness of compassion focused therapy and dialectical behavior therapy on reducing the marital conflict of women on the threshold of the divorce

“…The results showed that the use of compassionfocused therapy has significantly reduced the components of marital conflict. Results of this finding with the findings of Neff and Barat Wass (2013); Khalatbari, Hemmati Sabet and Mohammadi (2018); Rajabi et al (2017) are consistent. Explaining this finding, we can say that people with compassion are able to resolve their interpersonal differences by considering their own and others' desires (Yarnell and Neff, 2013).…”

“…Intimate communication is one of the most important emotional concerns in married life and also one of the important reasons for lasting marriages (Mirgain and Cordova, 2017).Over time and facing the various challenges of married life and the lack of necessary skills to improve the quality of the marital relationship, couples gradually become conflicted (Masumitabar et al, 2021).One of the treatment methods that is effective in various fields, including; Improving romantic relationships (Neff KD and Beretvas, 2013); Hope, self-esteem and mental health (Elaine Beaumont and Hollins, 2016); Intimate attitudes and reducing the desire for divorce and incompatibility and marital conflict (Dasht Bozorgi et al, 2017, Ragabi et al, 2017, Khalatbari, et al, 2018 have been successful, treatment focuses on compassion. Compassion emphasizes the important principle that images, thoughts, experiences, and soothing external and external behaviors must be internalized; In this way, the person's mind calms down in dealing with these internal and external issues (Gilbert, 2014) as it reacts to external and external issues.…”

Investigating the Effectiveness of Compassion-Based Therapy in Improving the Performance of Women with Breast Cancer

“…The greater the self-compassion, the more intimacy in relationships between women will increase and it will be a basis for satisfaction and positive emotions in the satisfaction of women's married life. [25] On the other hand, the findings of the covariance analysis demonstrated that compassion-based therapy has improved the scores of family functioning in the experimental group. In explaining these results, it can be said that researchers realized for a long time that soft problems and self-criticism are often rooted in family dysfunction, neglect, or lack of affection.…”

The Effectiveness of Group-Based Compassion- Focused Therapy on Depression, Anxiety and Improving the Quality of Life in Women With Feminine Cancers

“…Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) teaches people not to avoid and suppress their painful feelings; so they can recognize their experience and be compassionate with it. This unified therapy is derived from neuroscience, social, developmental and Buddhist psychology, and many other therapeutic models of mental problems [9,10]. CFT, along with other new therapeutic approaches of the Third Wave of psychology, is designed to alleviate suffering, anxiety, and depression [3].…”

“…The basic principle of CFT implies that external thoughts, factors, images, and palliative behaviors should be internalized so that the human mind can relax in the face of these factors, in the same manner, it responds to external factors. Compassion-focused exercises emphasize relaxation, self-compassion, and mindfulness, which play a huge role in individuals' peace of mind, and alleviating stress and negative automatic thoughts [10]. There is ever-increasing empirical evidence on the effects of CFT on the whole range of psychological problems.…”