The Effect of Loving-Kindness Meditation on Flight Attendants' Spirituality, Mindfulness and Subjective Well-Being

Chao Liu; Hao Chen; Chia-Yi Liu; Rung-Tai Lin; Wen-Ko Chiou

doi:10.3390/healthcare8020174

The Effect of Loving-Kindness Meditation on Flight Attendants' Spirituality, Mindfulness and Subjective Well-Being

Healthcare (Basel). 2020 Jun 16;8(2):174. doi: 10.3390/healthcare8020174.

Authors

Chao Liu^{1

2}, Hao Chen², Chia-Yi Liu³, Rung-Tai Lin⁴, Wen-Ko Chiou^{3

5}

Affiliations

¹ College of Aviation, Hua Qiao University, Xiamen 361021, China.
² Graduate Institute of Business and Management, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei 10507, Taiwan.
⁴ Graduate School of Creative Industry Design, National Taiwan University of Arts, New Taipei 22058, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Industrial Design, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: This study investigated: (1) the effects of the loving-kindness meditation (LKM) on mindfulness, subjective well-being (SWB), and spirituality and (2) the relationships between mindfulness, spirituality, and SWB. Methods: 98 flight attendants from Xiamen Airlines in China were recruited and randomly assigned to the LKM training group (n = 49) or the waiting control group (n = 49). The LKM training group underwent an 8-week LKM training intervention, and the control group did not undergo intervention. The three main variables (SWB, mindfulness, and spirituality) were measured both before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the LKM training intervention. Results: In the experimental group, SWB and spirituality increased significantly. In the control group, no significant differences were observed for the three variables between the pre-test and post-test. Conclusions: Our results indicated that LKM may help to improve SWB and spirituality. However, the mechanisms which underlie the effects of the LKM on mindfulness, spirituality, SWB, and other psychological constructs require further elucidation.

Keywords: loving-kindness meditation; mindfulness; spirituality; subjective well-being.