Enhancement of Mental Health of the Thai Elderly by Insight Meditation

Abstract

        Objective:  To study the effects of insight meditation on psychopathological variables of the Thai Elderly

         Methods: The study is a semi-experimental research. Tool used:  the Self-Report Symptom Inventory Revised (SCL-90-R), which is composed of nine mental health or psychopathological variables: somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. MANOVA and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. The sample group consisted of 30 Thai elderly, aged over 60. They were pre-post tested. The insight meditation practices were held at the Institute of Pimokmuk in Chiangmai during the years 2012-2014. The practices were based upon the Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness (Maha Satipatthana Sutta), which includes the contemplation of the body, the contemplation of the feelings, the contemplation of the mind, and the contemplation of the mental objects.

        Results: The results revealed that the insight meditation treatment reduced the level of the following psychopathological variables: obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression. The significance level was 0.05.

         Conclusion: Findings from this study show that the insight meditation treatment reduced the level of 3 psychopathological variables. It may be effective and useful in enhancing the mental health of the Thai elderly.

        Keywords: psychopathological variables, mental health, Thai elderly, insight meditation practice