The Effect of Group Art Therapy with Loving-Kindness Meditation on Self-compassion and Job Stress of Childcare Teacher

A study of 12 childcare teachers in J City who reported job-related stress tested whether group art therapy combined with loving-kindness meditation improved self-compassion and reduced job stress. Six teachers received the intervention and six served as controls. The program ran once a week for eight 80-minute sessions from July to August 2022. After the program, the experimental group showed improved overall self-compassion, self-kindness, universal humanity, and mindfulness, and reported decreased job stress overall, including stress related to unsupportive work environments, peer teacher relationships, and parent relationships. The authors suggest this combined approach may be useful as a psychological treatment for childcare teachers.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to verify the effect of group art therapy combined with loving-kindness meditation on self-compassion and job stress of childcare teachers. The subjects of the study were 12 childcare teachers in J City who reported experiencing job-related stress (6 in the experimental group, 6 in the control group). Art Therapy was held once a week from July to August 2022, for a total of 8 sessions, 80 minutes each. The results of the self-compassion scale and job stress scale for the experimental and control groups before and after implementing the program are as follows. As follows. First, the experimental group's overall self-compassion, self-kindness, universal humanity, and mindfulness abilities were found to have improved. Second, the experimental group's job stress related to overall job stress, unsupportive work environment, peer teacher relationship, and parent relationship decreased. Therefore, the possibility of using loving-kindness meditation and group art therapy as psychological treatment for teachers in childcare settings was confirmed.