A Pilot Study of Loving-Kindness and Self-Compassion Meditation on Depressive Symptoms among People Living with HIV
Gadjah Mada Journal of Professional Psychology (GamaJPP) March 30, 2026 Martaria Rizky Rinaldi, Katrim Alifa Putrikita, Abdul Kholiq Ismail
People living with HIV often experience high levels of depressive symptoms. A brief Loving-Kindness and Self-Compassion Meditation (LKCM) intervention was tested in a small quasi-experimental study with 18 participants. Depressive symptoms decreased in both the LKCM group and the no-treatment control group, with a larger reduction in the LKCM group, but the difference between groups was not statistically significant. The findings suggest LKCM may offer short-term psychological benefits, but larger, more rigorous trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness for depression management in this population.