Randomized controlled trial of a group intervention combining self-hypnosis and self-care: secondary results on self-esteem, emotional distress and regulation, and mindfulness in post-treatment cancer patients

C Grégoire; M-E Faymonville; A Vanhaudenhuyse; G Jerusalem; S Willems; I Bragard

doi:10.1007/s11136-020-02655-7

Randomized controlled trial of a group intervention combining self-hypnosis and self-care: secondary results on self-esteem, emotional distress and regulation, and mindfulness in post-treatment cancer patients

Qual Life Res. 2021 Feb;30(2):425-436. doi: 10.1007/s11136-020-02655-7. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Authors

C Grégoire¹, M-E Faymonville², A Vanhaudenhuyse², G Jerusalem³, S Willems⁴, I Bragard⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Psychology, Speech Therapy and Educational Sciences, and Sensation and Perception Research Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium. ch.gregoire@chuliege.be.
² Interdisciplinary Algology Centre, CHU Liège, and Sensation and Perception Research Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
³ Medical Oncology Department, CHU Liège and University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁴ Faculty of Psychology, Speech Therapy and Educational Sciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁵ Haute Ecole Libre Mosane (HELMo), Liège, Belgium.

Abstract

Purpose: Cancer patients often report low self-esteem and high emotional distress. Two factors seem particularly linked to these symptoms: emotion regulation strategies and mindfulness. The interest of hypnosis and self-care to relieve these symptoms is not well documented. Our randomized controlled trial aimed at assessing the effect of a group intervention combining self-hypnosis and self-care on self-esteem, emotional distress, emotion regulation, and mindfulness abilities of post-treatment cancer patients, as well as investigating the links between these variables.

Methods: One hundred and four patients who had suffered from cancer were randomized into the intervention group (N = 52) and the wait-list control group (N = 52). They had to answer questionnaires before (T1) and after the intervention (T2). Nine men were excluded from the analyses, leading to a final sample of 95 women with cancer. Group-by-time changes were assessed with MANOVA, and associations with self-esteem and emotional distress were investigated with hierarchical linear regression models.

Results: Participants in the intervention group (mean age = 51.65; SD = 12.54) reported better self-esteem, lower emotional distress, a decreased use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, and more mindfulness abilities after the intervention, compared to the WLCG. This increase in mindfulness explained 33% of the improvement of self-esteem and 41.6% of the decrease of emotional distress in the intervention group. Self-esteem and emotional distress also predicted each other.

Conclusion: Our study showed the efficacy of our hypnosis-based intervention to improve all the investigated variables. Mindfulness predicted the improvement of self-esteem and emotional distress. The primary impact of our intervention on mindfulness abilities seems to explain, at least in part, its efficacy. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03144154). Retrospectively registered on the 1st of May, 2017.

Keywords: Cancer; Emotional distress; Hypnosis; Mindfulness; Oncology; Self-esteem.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Female
Humans
Hypnosis / methods*
Internet-Based Intervention / trends*
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Mindfulness / methods*
Neoplasms / psychology
Quality of Life / psychology*
Self Care / methods*
Self Concept*
Stress, Psychological / psychology*
Young Adult

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT03144154