earticle

영어

This study aims to discover whether dance/movement therapy(DMT)has an effect on stress and heart rate variability of breast cancer patients. The subjects of the study were female patients (mean age: 46.4±9.0) diagnosed as breast cancer two years ago. Then they had a surgery and completed anticancer treatments in W University Hospital. 20 subjects who were able to understand the purposes of group DMT and agreed to it were selected and DMT was given to them three hours a session and once a year for 14 weeks. As a result of the study, it was discovered that in respect to stress and heart rate variability after the dance/movement therapy, significant changes occurred in stress, SDNN, and TP. In respect to the difference in heart rate variability between the subjects and control group, TP, SDNN, and HP which are related with chronic stress or diseases were significantly low. In conclusion, this study discovered that breast cancer patients had lower TP and SDNN due to treatment of the breast cancer than healthy adult women, and suggests that psychological therapy programs for breast cancer patients should be developed. This study has a meaning in that dance/movement therapy provided good directions to rehabilitation therapy of breast cancer patients.