Effectiveness of a 2-week online program on self-help loving-kindness meditation in a non-clinical population: An active control randomized trial
Shunta Maeda, Ren Fujisawa, Takumi Uchiyama, Tomoya Sato, Yoshihiro Kanai
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 130 |
| Population | Participants |
| Interventions | Loving-kindness meditation Mindfulness meditation Breathing exercises |
| Duration | 2-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Self-help loving-kindness meditation improved mental health outcomes, but no group differences were observed compared to mindfulness meditation or breathing exercises. |
Abstract
Objective: Loving-kindness meditation has been shown to improve positive and negative mental health outcomes; however, its effectiveness, when provided in a self-help format, has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study examined the effectiveness of a 2-week online program on self-help loving-kindness meditation by comparing it with mindfulness meditation and active control (breathing exercises).
Methods: A total of 130 participants were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions and engaged in the corresponding practice for 2 weeks. Outcome measures included stress symptoms, self-compassion, social approach motivation, social avoidance motivation, social connectedness, and positive and negative emotions.
Results: Significant improvements were witnessed in stress symptoms, self-compassion, social approach motivation, social connectedness, and negative emotion; however, no group differences were observed from the pre- to post-treatment sessions. Daily diary assessment indicated that loving-kindness meditation is associated with higher levels of daily positive emotion compared with the other conditions.
Conclusions: The self-help form of loving-kindness meditation can enhance mental health outcomes; however, improvements might be explained merely by the relaxation effects and expectations regarding treatment. Loving-kindness meditation would be more effective when guided by experienced facilitators.