title: The Relationship Between Focused Attention Meditation Practice Habits, Psychological Symptoms, and Quality of Life.
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.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Unalan Mah. Unalan Sok. D-100, Karayolu Yanyol, Uskudar, 34700, Istanbul, Turkey. isil.bilican@medeniyet.edu.tr.
authors.forename: F Isil
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Bilican
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D029181:Spirituality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ananda Marga; Focused attention meditation; Psychological symptoms; Quality of life; Years of practice