Differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude, and psychological well-being according to the characteristics of foreigners participating in the Woodenfish Global Meditation Practice Program

Among 58 foreign participants in a meditation program at Woljeongsa Temple, older participants and those with prior meditation experience scored higher on measures of mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being. Self-kindness (a component of self-compassion) differed depending on why participants joined the program. Whether participants had a religion or not did not relate to any of the measured traits. The results provide guidance for tailoring temple-based meditation programs for foreigners.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being according to the characteristics of foreigners who participated in temple-based meditation programs, thereby understanding the experiences of foreign temple stay participants according to their characteristics and providing information necessary for organizing temple-based meditation programs for foreigners in the future. To this end, a survey was conducted using the scales of mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being targeting 58 foreign participants who participated in the global meditation practice program held at Woljeongsa Temple. The collected data were analyzed using frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results of this study are as follows. First, as a result of examining whether there were differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being according to age, there was a significant difference in the average of mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being according to age. Second, as a result of examining whether there were differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being depending on the participation occasion, there was a significant difference in the average of self-kindness, a sub-factor of self-compassion, depending on the participation occasion. However, there was no significant difference in the average of mindfulness, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being depending on the participation occasion. Third, as a result of examining whether there were differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being depending on the religious presence or absence, there was no significant difference in the average of mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being depending on the religious presence or absence. Fourth, as a result of examining whether there were differences in mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being depending on the previous meditation experience, there was a significant difference in the average of mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude disposition, and psychological well-being depending on the previous meditation experience. This study provided basic information for the psychological and emotional characteristics of foreigners participating in meditation programs conducted at Korean temples and for organizing temple stay programs that meet their needs.