MEDITATION PRACTICES FOR ENHANCING MENTAL HEALTH AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN LAMPANG PROVINCE
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This research aimed to 1) Study problems and current mental health of older adults in Lampang province, 2) Develop a meditation practice for enhancing mental health in Lampang province, and 3) Evaluate the effectiveness of meditation practice for enhancing mental health among older adults in Lampang Province. The study employed a mixed methods research design consisting of three phases: 1) A qualitative study exploring the problems and current mental health among 35 older adults through in-depth interviews; 2) A qualitative study to develop meditation practice through in-depth interviews with 17 key informants, including Vipassanā masters, Buddhist scholars, older adults, together with focus group discussion of 9 experts; and 3) A quantitative and qualitative study to evaluate the effectiveness of meditation practice among 35 older adults using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The findings revealed that: 1) Older adults experienced three major psychological challenges, namely feelings of loneliness, pressure from family responsibilities, and anxiety about health issues; 2) The developed meditation practice to enhance mental health of older adults integrated the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna 4) and the Recollection of the Buddha (Buddhānussati). The program began with a one-day group mindfulness practice, followed by 14 consecutive days of self-practice at home using digital MP3 audio media featuring dhamma songs for the Recollection of the Buddha (Buddhānussati) , and concluded with another one-day of meditation practice.; and 3) The effectiveness evaluation demonstrated that the mental health of older adults improved significantly from the normal range to a level higher than that of the general population (Mean increased from 45.43 to 51.23, t = 5.835, p < .01). Qualitative findings further indicated that participants experienced reduced anxiety, improved sleep quality, and enhanced ability to manage stress.
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