Can mindfulness facilitate posttraumatic growth in breast cancer patients? The mediating role of illness perceptions and positive emotions.

This study investigates the relationship between mindfulness orientation and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among 697 women with breast cancer from Finland, Portugal, Italy, and Israel, as part of the BOUNCE Project. It identifies a serial mediation pathway where higher baseline mindfulness is associated with perceiving the illness as less chronic (timeline illness perception) six months post-diagnosis, which in turn relates to increased positive emotions at 12 months, ultimately enhancing PTG one year after diagnosis. The findings suggest that promoting mindfulness, addressing illness perceptions—particularly timeline perception—and fostering positive affect may be beneficial components of clinical interventions to support psychological growth in breast cancer patients. The longitudinal design and multinational sample strengthen the study, though limitations include reliance on self-report measures, focus on a specific age and cancer stage group, and exclusion of other potential PTG predictors such as social support.