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The Relationship Between Focused Attention Meditation Practice Habits, Psychological Symptoms, and Quality of Life

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Abstract

This study examined the relationship between focused attention meditation practice habits, psychological symptoms, and quality of life. The participants were 30 adults from New York, NY, practicing Ananda Marga spirituality. They were administered the Symptom Check List-90-R and the Quality of Life Index. The findings pointed out while Ananda Marga meditation practice habits were not associated with improvements in psychological symptoms, longer years in meditation practice was associated with improvements in overall, social and psychological/spiritual quality of life. Longer periods of meditation practice per session were related to lower levels of overall quality of life and economic quality of life.

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  1. Psychology Department, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Unalan Mah. Unalan Sok. D-100, Karayolu Yanyol, Uskudar, 34700, Istanbul, Turkey

    F. Isil Bilican

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All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. There were no potential conflicts of interest in this study.

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Bilican, F.I. The Relationship Between Focused Attention Meditation Practice Habits, Psychological Symptoms, and Quality of Life. J Relig Health 55, 1980–1995 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0204-0

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