Older Thai Buddhist meditators who strictly follow the Five Precepts and regularly practice death contemplation show higher levels of inner strengths like generosity, morality, mindfulness, wisdom, and equanimity, along with greater well-being, gratitude, and life satisfaction, and lower anxiety, depression, and aggression compared to less dedicated peers. However, gratitude levels did not differ significantly between groups, suggesting gratitude may depend on factors beyond these practices. The findings highlight the combined benefits of ethical conduct and contemplation of impermanence for mental health and resilience in older adults.
Among 332 elderly Thai Buddhist meditation practitioners (average age 68, 66% female), those who engaged in death contemplation reported lower depression, but not higher well-being or gratitude, after accounting for other factors. Positive attitudes toward death were strongly linked to lower depression and higher well-being and gratitude. The connection between contemplation and depression weakened when positive death attitudes were considered, suggesting that cultivating acceptance of death through contemplation may reduce depression indirectly by fostering positive attitudes. The findings highlight the importance of death acceptance for mental health in this population and suggest that integrating death contemplation practices into interventions could be a culturally appropriate strategy for supporting well-being among aging Buddhists in Thailand.