The relevance of psychological flexibility in the context of cancer: a review of the literature

Abstract

Psychological flexibility has been related to a wide number of positive outcomes among individuals with mental health problems and chronic illnesses, and it has been identified as an important mechanism of change in psychotherapy. However, the attention given to psychological flexibility within psycho-oncology has been quite limited, even though it may offer new alternatives in the treatment of cancer-related distress. The objective of the present descriptive review was to bring together the studies that have examined the association between psychological flexibility and outcomes among cancer patients, or have carried out interventions aiming to increase the level of psychological flexibility among cancer patients. Even though the research base in this area is still small, the findings consistently show that higher levels of psychological flexibility are associated with increased levels of wellbeing among cancer patients, even in the presence of health deterioration. Implications for clinical practice in psycho-oncology are discussed.