The Impact of Mindful Compassion on Sexual Functioning and Quality of Life in Home Hospice Care

December 8, 2025 updated by: London Metropolitan University

The Impact of Mindful Compassion on Supporting Women Post-cancer Treatment's Sexual Functioning and Quality of Life in Home Hospice Care: A Preliminary Randomised Controlled Trial.

Sexual dysfunction is commonly reported post cancer treatments. Indeed, sexual wellbeing can be affected by diagnosis, medication and cancer treatments, which can damage body tissues such as the vagina owing to radiation therapy, or insufficient lubrication caused by chemotherapy. Additionally, feeling sore, exhausted, anxious, depressed and 'not in the mood' further contribute to changes in sexual desire

Very few evidence based online interventions have been developed to address sexual difficulties post cancer treatments and in hospice at home care. This extends to well being and quality of life. Mindful compassion interventions has been based on a behavioural taxonomy to support the reliability of their delivery. Indeed, this study aims to identify and describe the key components and behaviour change techniques as part of the online intervention. These have been mapped to a behaviour change taxonomy with the view of supporting standardisation for future trial implementation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an online mindful compassion intervention using the 3 system model of emotions among a post cancer treatment group in hospice care, at the end of life, to improve quality of life. The study intends to provide preliminary estimates of pre-post intervention on a waitlist controlled randomised controlled trial looking at well being, sexual function, mindfulness and self compassion.

Quantitatively, the research is structured so that participants will be randomised to either the active experimental or delayed group. This intervention will be weekly for approximately 1 to 2 hours over 4 weeks. This A follow up at 12 weeks will be taken to determine the sustainability of this intervention. Feedback questions will also be given during the delivery of the intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Hospice care is a specialised form of palliative care provided during the later stages of life. Although these two types of care share some similarities, they can differ in timing, location, and available treatments. Hospice care can be delivered at home or in a hospice healthcare centre. While the main treatments are generally discontinued, pain management and support for other health issues, such as high blood pressure or psychological distress like anxiety or depression, may continue. Hospice care, as a component of palliative care, prioritises quality of life and overall well being. Additionally, hospice support can be provided at any point during the patient's condition, not solely in its final stages. A combination of in-home and healthcare support, as well as inpatient care, is also available. Among women, lung cancer, followed by breast cancer, is the most reported cancer in hospice.

The quality of life in palliative care and hospice is vital, given the challenges faced by patients, caregivers, practitioners, families, and partners. It includes overall well being, covering physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects. Palliative care provides essential support when addressing the biopsychosocial components of quality of life. However, issues emerge when discussing sex. Despite recognition by organisations such as Marie Curie and Macmillan, there seems to be a reluctance to raise awareness or support research on this topic.

A range of psychosocial interventions is available for individuals after cancer treatment. An increasingly popular approach involves using mindfulness and mindful compassion to support psychosexual functioning. Mindful compassion has been utilised in psychosexual services, including various sexual issues such as sexual pain disorder. Indeed, the three systems model can be used to map out, validate, and normalise different emotional experiences as well as to illustrate how they can influence sexual arousal and enjoyment.

Research on mindfulness and mindful compassion for women after cancer treatments is limited and remains scarce among those in hospice end of life care. This is a sensitive but vital area, as sexual intimacy should not cease with a prognosis. The sense of connection to others is essential at the end of life, and this does not exclude sexual intimacy. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an online mindful compassion intervention, based on the 3 system model of emotions, among women with cancer and those receiving hospice care at home.

It was hypothesised that mindful compassion would improve sexual functioning, mindfulness, well-being, and quality of life among women following cancer treatment and in palliative care. Questionnaires were limited because the team did not want to overburden these women, as the focus was on the experience of brief mindful compassion.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

22

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
      • London, United Kingdom, N7 8DB
        • School of Social Sciences and Professions

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Were in hospice care with a cancer diagnosis/terminal
  • We're receiving support and care
  • Identified as female
  • Registered with a healthcare service or charity
  • Self-perceived satisfactory sexual intimacy before cancer diagnosis (Acquired)
  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Had a computer, laptop, mobile phone- intervention was online.
  • Read and wrote English, as the intervention was delivered in English
  • Patient Health Questionnaire 9 screening (score range from minimal to moderate, 0-14).
  • Mental Capacity Mini Cog outcomes 3,4,5 (cognitive comprehension)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Were not in hospice care with a cancer diagnosis/terminal
  • Did not identify as female
  • Were very late-stage palliative/hospice care in which capacity (medication) may be compromised, or discomfort is experienced
  • Were aged below 18 years old
  • Had reading and writing difficulties in English
  • Had a moderate to severe to high Patient Health Questionnaire 9 screening score (ranging from moderate to severe 15-27).
  • Mental Capacity Mini Cog outcomes 0,1,2 (problematic cognitive comprehension)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active group
Mindful compassion group provided over 4 weeks
Behavioral: Mindful compassion
Participants were encouraged to engage in at home exercises, including breathing exercises, diaries for sexual desire and fantasies, and mindfulness and self-compassion practices such as working on body image. This approach was guided by the 3 system model of emotions, where focusing on the mind and body helps identify physiological changes related to a perceived threat, cognitively recognising and attending to internal and external triggers, and incorporating mindful acceptance and compassion to address the critical inner voice. These techniques will be applied both to daily life and sexual intimacy.
Active Comparator: Delayed group
Mindful compassion group commences at week 4 when the active group intervention terminates.
Behavioral: Mindful compassion
Participants were encouraged to engage in at home exercises, including breathing exercises, diaries for sexual desire and fantasies, and mindfulness and self-compassion practices such as working on body image. This approach was guided by the 3 system model of emotions, where focusing on the mind and body helps identify physiological changes related to a perceived threat, cognitively recognising and attending to internal and external triggers, and incorporating mindful acceptance and compassion to address the critical inner voice. These techniques will be applied both to daily life and sexual intimacy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Female Sexual Function Index
Time Frame: 0, 4 and 12 weeks
This is a 19 item questionnaire on sexual function, including sexual desire, orgasm, lubrication, sexual satisfaction and pain. It has five response categories. Scores include severe 2-7.2, moderate 7.3-14.4, mild to moderate 14.5-21.6, mild 21.7- 28.1 cut-off value, and no female sexual dysfunction 28.2 -36.The lower the score, the higher the level of sexual dysfunction.
0, 4 and 12 weeks
The Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale
Time Frame: 0, 4 and 12 weeks
A 7 item questionnaire with 5 response categories looking at functioning and feeling aspects of well being. The response categories include 1=none of the time to 5=all of the time. There is no reverse scoring. Scores range from 7 to 35 where the latter is the highest level of wellbeing.
0, 4 and 12 weeks
Brief Quality of Life Scale
Time Frame: Weeks 0, 4 and 12
An 8 item questionnaire with five response categories looking at satisfaction with self, friends, family and creativity. The total score is calculated by summing the satisfaction ratings and summing the six products for a total score with score range between 0-96.
Weeks 0, 4 and 12
The Self compassion Scale
Time Frame: Weeks 0, 4 and 12
This is a 12 item measure with five response categories, 1 = almost never to 5= almost always, with higher scores indicating higher levels of self-compassion. The questionnaire measures self-kindness and self-judgement, common humanity and isolation, and mindfulness and over-identification with painful thoughts and emotions. Scores range between. An estimated score between 1-2.5 for overall self-compassion score indicates low levels of self-compassion. 2.5-3.5 indicates moderate. 3.5-5.0 means high levels of overall self-compassion.
Weeks 0, 4 and 12

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

London Metropolitan University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Samantha Banbury, London Metropolitan University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 8, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 8, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 25, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 8, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 22, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 22, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 8, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • LondonsMU

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Quality of Life

Clinical Trials on Mindful compassion

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Norway

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe