Effects of psychological intervention on disease acceptance and quality of life in breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Stressful psychological experiences are commonly reported following a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Poor disease acceptance can exacerbate these challenges and negatively impact the quality of life (QoL). While psychological interventions may help alleviate distress in breast cancer patients, their effects on disease acceptance and QoL remain unclear. Therefore, this review uses meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of psychological interventions on disease acceptance and QoL in breast cancer patients. A systematic search of the literature in the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Direct Science databases was conducted until August 2024. This review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the impact of psychological interventions on disease acceptance and QoL of breast cancer patients. The estimated intervention effects were determined using a random-effects model and reported using standardized mean difference (SMD) (p < 0.05). Subsequent subgroup analysis was conducted following a high level of heterogeneity (I2 > 75%) in the estimated effect size. Data from 27 RCTs with 3052 participants were extracted based on the eligibility criteria. Psychological intervention improved the disease acceptance of breast cancer patients (SMD = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.40-0.80, p < 0.00001) and their QoL (SMD = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.29-0.62, p < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis suggested types of psychological intervention and selection of sensitive measures influence the estimated effect of intervention on QoL of breast cancer patients. Findings highlight the beneficial effects of psychological intervention on disease acceptance and QoL of breast cancer patients.