Group-based body psychotherapy improves appreciation of body awareness in post-treatment cancer patients: A non-randomized clinical trial

Astrid Grossert; Cornelia Meffert; Viviane Hess; Christoph Rochlitz; Miklos Pless; Sabina Hunziker; Brigitta Wössmer; Ulfried Geuter; Gunther Meinlschmidt; Rainer Schaefert

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.956493

Group-based body psychotherapy improves appreciation of body awareness in post-treatment cancer patients: A non-randomized clinical trial

Front Psychol. 2023 Apr 6:14:956493. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.956493. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Astrid Grossert^#^{1

2

3

4}, Cornelia Meffert^#¹, Viviane Hess^{2

5}, Christoph Rochlitz^{2

5}, Miklos Pless⁶, Sabina Hunziker^{1

5}, Brigitta Wössmer^{1

7}, Ulfried Geuter⁸, Gunther Meinlschmidt^{1

5

9

10

11}, Rainer Schaefert^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
² Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
³ Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁴ Medical Center of Oncology and Hematology, Department of Psycho-Oncology, Cantonal Hospital Baselland, Liestal, Switzerland.
⁵ Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁶ Department of Medical Oncology, Winterthur Cantonal Hospital, Winterthur, Switzerland.
⁷ Outpatient Clinic for Psychotherapy, Olten, Switzerland.
⁸ Institute for Sports and Motology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
⁹ Department of Digital and Blended Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Division of Clinical Psychology and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
¹¹ Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer-related impairments often co-occur with bodily disturbances. Body psychotherapy (BPT) can improve bodily wellbeing, yet evidence in cancer survivors is scarce. Hence, we aimed to evaluate whether blended group BPT alleviates bodily disturbances in post-treatment cancer patients.

Methods: We conducted a bi-center study (registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, under No. NCT03707548), applying a pre-post convergent parallel design of weekly group BPT interspersed with smartphone-based ambulatory interventions using a waiting-period comparator. We included patients with completed curatively intended treatment for malignant neoplasms, suffering from bodily disturbances. The primary outcome was body image disturbances. Secondary outcomes were experiencing and appreciating body awareness, mental wellbeing, and health-related quality of life.

Results: Forty patients (mean age 51.7 years) attended group BPT. Mixed-effect linear regression models contrasting intervention with the waiting period did not show statistically significant differences regarding the primary outcome [Pre-post difference contrasts: 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.51 to 4.93, p = 0.339]. However, patients showed greater improvements in appreciating body awareness, measured by the "Body Mindfulness Questionnaire" (BMQ), from pre- to post-intervention as compared to the waiting period (pre-post difference contrasts: 7.31 95% CI: 4.15-10.47, Bonferroni-Holm corrected q = 0.0002).

Discussion: We found no evidence that blended group BPT was effective in improving body image disturbances in post-treatment cancer patients, but found indications for an increase in body awareness appreciation.

Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03707548.

Keywords: Psycho-Oncology; bodily disturbances; body awareness; integrative body psychotherapy; malignant neoplasms; psychotherapy.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT03707548

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Swiss Cancer League (Grant-No: KLS-4304-08-2017). The funding source was not involved in the design or conduct of the study, in the collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data, or the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.