Changes in mind-wandering frequency and phenomenology in cancer patients following an 8-week mindfulness intervention

Mindfulness training (MT) has been shown to be beneficial for the mental health of cancer patients, but the underlying processes of change are not fully understood. The literature has overlooked the impact of MT on the frequency and phenomenology of mind-wandering (MW), characteristics that have been linked to mental health outcomes.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with an exploratory sample of 30 women with breast cancer. Inclusion criteria included completion of chemotherapy at least three months prior to enrollment; if cancer therapies had been concluded, this must have occurred within the past ten years. An online 8-week MT program was delivered to 19 participants, while the remaining participants were wait-listed. At pre- and post-intervention, perceived MW frequency in daily life (measured using the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire), MW frequency during a 10-minute task involving attention to the breath, and phenomenology of MW experienced during the task (measured with the Thought Characteristics Questionnaire) were assessed. An additional sample of 44 women with breast cancer was enrolled, and data are currently being collected.

Exploratory analyses of variance showed that, at post-intervention, the MT group significantly reduced perceived MW frequency in daily life compared to controls (p=0.02). The reduction in MW frequency during the attention task was not statistically significant between groups (p=0.33). Regarding MW phenomenology, the MT group exhibited significant decreases in the amount of visual imagery (p=0.01), degree of intentionality (p=0.04), and intensity of associated emotions (p=0.01).

These preliminary findings suggest that MT may modulate MW characteristics in breast cancer patients. These results will be extended to the full sample. MT appears to reduce the perceived frequency of MW in daily life and to alter certain salient phenomenological dimensions of MW. Future research in oncology settings should explore the relationship between these MW changes and mental health outcomes following MT.