Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effects of mindfulness-based meditation and yoga on stress, self-esteem, body image and sexual adjustment in women undergoing modified radical mastectomy.

Method: The study has a randomized controlled experimental design. The research sample consisted of 39 women (Intervention group=19, Control group=20) who continued their routine controls after mastectomy. Mindfulness-based meditation and yoga practices were practiced with the women in the intervention group for eight weeks. The research data were collected with “Personal Information Form”, “Perceived Stress Scale”, “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale”, “Sexual Adjustment and Body Image Scale”. The yoga and meditation practices performed within the scope of the research were completed between May-August 2023. Araştırma kapsamında gerçekleştirilen yoga ve meditasyon uygulamaları Mayıs-Ağustos 2023 tarihleri arasında tamamlanmıştır. Data were analyzed with the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) 29.0 package program using the Independent Sample t test for two independent group comparisons and the Repeated measure ANOVA test for repeated comparisons within groups. The experimental registration of this study was made at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06110832).

Results: Perceived stress and the meaning attributed to breasts in sexuality decreased significantly in the post-test measurement (p<0.05); self-esteem and body perception increased significantly (p<0.05); and no statistically significant difference was found in the results related to sexual function (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The results of the study show that mindfulness-based meditation and yoga are effective on perceived stress, self-esteem, and body perception in women undergoing modified radical mastectomy. In line with the findings of the study, it is recommended that all oncological patients, especially breast cancer patients, should be supported with mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, including the preoperative period.

Key words: Mastectomy; mindfulness; meditation; self-esteem; body image; sexual adjustment