A study on the effectiveness of a compassion program for middle-aged and older adults
Hyun-Jin(InHae) Kim
Humanities and Meditation Research Institute December 31, 2024 DOI: 10.60140/mche.2024.2.2.1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post program evaluation with quantitative and qualitative methods Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Middle-aged and older adults |
| Intervention | Compassion program |
| Measures | Self-Compassion Scale |
| Key findings | Participants in a compassion program showed higher self-kindness, mindfulness, and overall self-compassion after the program than before, with the authors reporting significant differences on these measures. The authors present the study as an empirical application of a compassion program for middle-aged people that integrated quantitative and qualitative methods. |
Abstract
This study confirms the effectiveness of a compassion program for middle-aged people. The research questions of this study are as follows. ‘Is there a difference in compassion before and after participating in a self-compassion program for middle-aged and older adults?’ For this purpose, a compassion program for middle-aged people was conducted on 20 middle-aged participants. The effectiveness of the program was confirmed through pre-post analysis of the self-compassion scale. The results of this study are as follows. First, the compassion program for middle-aged and older adults was found to have significant differences in the overall scale of self-kindness, mindfulness, and self-compassion, which are subfactors of self-compassion. In other words, middle-aged and older people who participated in the compassion program showed higher self-kindness, mindfulness, and the average of the overall scale after participating in the program compared to before participating in the program. This study is significant in that it empirically applied a compassion program targeting middle-aged people and examined its effects in practice by integrating quantitative and qualitative methods.