Data analysis
Data that were normally distributed were presented as the mean ± standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables and as frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. The Shapiro–Wilk test and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test were used to evaluate the normality of the data distribution. Comparisons of groups at the three time points were performed using a t-test. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the categorical variables in baseline characteristics of the participants. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to test the relationship between the attendance to the MBSR program and the change in means of all measures. A paired t-test was utilized to assess the responses among males and females in the MBSR group. One way ANOVA test was utilized to assess the change in means within and between both study groups in time 0, time 1, and time 2. A p-value less than 0.05 was required for statistical significance. Analyses were performed using SPSS software [