The Effect of Mind Subtraction Meditation on Smartphone Addiction in School Children

Abstract

Background: Aim of current study was to examine the effects of school-based mind subtraction meditation program on smartphone addiction tendency and mental health of third grade students in a South Korean elementary school. Materials and Methods:A quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent comparison groups was used. An experimental group (n = 24), who participated in the school-based meditation program, and a control group (n = 22), who did not participate in the program, were measured pre-test, post-test, and also three months after the completion of this study on smartphone addiction tendency and mental health. Results:The study result showed a significant decrease in smartphone addiction tendency and also significant improvements in mental health variables of depression, anxiety, aggression, and impulsivity for the experimental group. These improvements were shown to continue even after the study completion when measured post-intervention at three months. Conclusion:This study demonstrated that the mind subtraction meditation program had positive effects on smartphone addiction tendency and mental health variables. It can be suggested from this study to recommend mind subtraction meditation as one of feasible strategies to prevent smartphone addiction and to improve mental health status in elementary school children. Further, this study meaningfully supports positive beneficial evidence of meditation program utilization in schools.

The Effect of Mind Subtraction Meditation Intervention on Smartphone Addiction and the Psychological Wellbeing among Adolescents

“…Even after one month of completing the program, the total scores of smartphone addiction tests were decreased in the experimental group. This beneficial effect of the meditation program also was noted in other research studies related to meditation [11,26,27]. A prior study showed that a school-based mind subtraction meditation had a positive effect on smartphone addiction tendency and the addiction-associated mental health of children in South Korea [11].…”

“…There have been numerous studies on finding ways to prevent smartphone addiction [10]. Among those which remain effective, mind subtraction meditation is the one which has been widely applied as a school-based program in South Korea [11].…”

Effects of an On-Campus Meditation Course on Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Sleep Quality among South Korean Paramedic Students

“…Terefore, this meditation has been called "True Self meditation" or "Mind Subtraction meditation" [11]. Other researchers have utilized this meditation method and reported that it was easily learned and practiced among younger populations, such as school-aged children [27], college students [20], and young adults [28].…”