Effects of cyclic adjustment training delivered via a mobile device on psychological resilience, depression, and anxiety in Chinese post-surgical breast cancer patients

PurposePsychological resilience is an important ability for women with breast cancer to cope effectively with depression and anxiety. However, the demands of long-term hospital-based psychological rehabilitation interventions are not met in mainland China, where shorter hospital stays and longer home rehabilitation are common. This study examines whether a cyclic adjustment training (CAT) intervention delivered via a mobile device can improve psychological resilience, and reduce depression and anxiety symptoms, in a population of post-surgical women with breast cancer.MethodsWomen with breast cancer were recruited through convenience sampling from a general hospital in Xi'an, and randomly allocated to an intervention group (n=66), receiving CAT plus routine nursing care for 12 weeks, or a control group (n=66), receiving only routine nursing care. The primary outcome was psychological resilience. Resilience, anxiety, and depression were measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively. A linear mixed model was applied to analyze the effects.ResultsPatients in the CAT group displayed significantly improved psychological resilience, anxiety, and depression scores (F=19.53, P<0.001; F=31.85, P<0.001; F=26.32, P<0.001), respectively, compared to the control group.ConclusionsThe CAT had positive effects on improving psychological resilience and reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression, supporting its use as an effective psychological management and intervention strategy in the early stages of long-term rehabilitation of post-surgical women with breast cancer.Trial registrationChictr.org.cn ChiCTR-IOR-16008253, registered 9 April 2016.