BACKGROUND: Breast cancer patients frequently experience psychological distress during the chemotherapy period. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of relaxation with guided imagery on patients with breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A two-group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design with a randomized controlled trial was conducted. Sixty-five breast cancer patients from one medical center in Taiwan were enrolled in the study. These patients were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 32) or to the control group (n = 33). Both groups received chemotherapy self-care education, but the experimental group also received relaxation with guided imagery training. The training on relaxation with guided imagery was conducted before chemotherapy, and the patients were supplied with a compact disc detailing the performance of relaxation with guided imagery for 20 minutes daily at home for 7 days after chemotherapy. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significant decreases in insomnia (-0.34 +/- 0.83, p < 0.05), pain (-0.28 +/- 0.58, p < 0.05), anxiety (-3.56 +/- 2.94, p < 0.00), and depression (-2.38 +/- 2.70, p < 0.00) between the pretest and the posttest. Comparing the two groups, statistically significant differences were found in the overall symptom distress (B = 0.11, p < 0.05), insomnia (B = 0.50, p < 0.05), depression (B = 0.38, p < 0.05), and numbness in physical symptoms (B 0.38, p < 0.05), as well as in anxiety (B = 3.08, p < 0.00) and depression (B = 1.86, p < 0.00) in psychological distress. One week of relaxation with guided imagery can significantly improve the overall symptoms of distress, insomnia, depression, physical symptoms, and anxiety, and can decrease psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: Relaxation with guided imagery had a positive effect on mediating anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients.

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