Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40549818›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Buddha image meditation is a potent predictor for mental health outcomes: A cross-sectional study among Thai high-school students.

Justin DeMaranville, Tinakon Wongpakaran, Nahathai Wongpakaran, Danny Wedding

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Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Justin DeMaranvilleMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Tinakon WongpakaranMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0002-9062-3468
Nahathai WongpakaranMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0001-8365-2474
Danny WeddingMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeMeditation has been demonstrated to benefit adolescent mental health. This research examined various meditation styles practiced in northern Thailand to determine which were associated with positive and negative mental health outcomes in adolescents. POPULATION AND

methodsHigh school students who were 15-18 years old and who were enrolled in grades 10-12 in either secular or Buddhist Thai boarding schools were recruited following their school's willingness to participate. They provided information about meditation styles and their practice frequency during the last month (i.e., breathing, kasina (color), Buddha image visualization, Manomayiddhi, mindfulness, recollections, and vipassanā). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Resilience Inventory (RI-9), Outcome Inventory-21 (OI-21), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were completed. Multiple linear regression model analysis was used to identify the effects of meditation styles on mental health outcomes.

resultsAmong 443 participants, 390 were females (87.9%). The mean age was 16.35 ± 0.96 years. The three most common meditation styles practiced were breathing, Buddha image visualization, and mindfulness (46.5%, 26.2%, and 22.8%, respectively). Buddha image visualization was a significant predictor of RSES (B = 1.69, 95%CI = 0.77, 2.61), RI-9 (B = 2.95, 95%CI = 0.68, 2.95), OI-Anxiety (B = -2.38, 95%CI = -3.34, -1.41), OI-Depression (B = -1.94, 95%CI = -2.64, -1.24), and PSS-10 (B = -2.47, 95%CI = -3.65, -1.28), whereas Manomayiddhi was a predictor of RI-9 (B = 2.47, 95%CI = 0.74, 2.47), OI-Anxiety (B = -2.32, 95%CI = -3.41, -1.23), OI-Depression (B = -1.53, 95%CI = -2.32, -0.74), and PSS-10 (B = -2.14, 95%CI = -3.46, -0.81). Breathing meditation predicted OI-Depression (B = -0.87, 95%CI = -1.45, -0.29). Daily meditation frequency was associated with the best mental health scores (p < 0.001).

conclusionBuddha image visualization, Manomayiddhi, and breathing meditation were predictive of adolescents' mental health. A higher practice frequency is associated with positive mental health outcomes.

Indexed as

BuddhismMeditationMental HealthStudentsAdolescentCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleSelf ConceptSoutheast Asian PeopleStress, PsychologicalThailand

Identifiers

PMID40549818
PMCPMC12184913

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.