Objective: Methodological analysis on the content, results and limitations of three body-mind interventions for cancer patients.

Methods: A secondary analysis of the research designs, patient characteristics, evaluation, and effects of three body-mind interventions for cancer patients: haptotherapy (N= 57) and two studies applying relaxing face massage (N=34 and 79). Different experimental designs have been applied. A variety of well-being effect measures were used.

Result: The three appreciated interventions showed limited effects after controlling for confounding factors. The drop-out, differences in severity of cancer, the use of other complementary approaches, and response shift may have affected the found effects.

Conclusions: Body-mind interventions require more methodological reflections to develop attractive and effective interventions for cancer patients. Attention need to be paid to measuring short term effects, practically fitting research designs, and response shift.

Practice Implications: Body-mind approaches are needed to compensate the lack of attention to intentionally body contact of cancer patients during illness and treatment. Body-mind interventions should be intensive, repeated and not too short. The implementation of effective body-mind interventions requires attention to several organizational factors in the health care.

Biography:
Adriaan Visser (1941), PhD, studied social psychology at the Free University, Amsterdam (NL). The published thesis (1984) was on the methodology of the measurement of patient satisfaction. Worked the rest of his life mostly as health psychologist, engaged in education of university and high school students (psychology, medical, nursing), research in health care, implementation of health care changes, writing, and editing. Nearly 100 grants have been awarded and a lot articles published on patient education, organization of health care, dental care, diabetes, fibromialgie, psychosocial cancer care, breast cancer, prostate cancer, palliative care, aging, family planning, psycho-neuroimmunology (PNI), depression, mindfulness, complementary medicine, and spirituality.