A Comparative Study of Meditation Play and Art Therapy Programs Applying MMPT-Focusing on Child Anxiety, Mindfulness, and Self-Regulation

Abstract

This study applied MPPT (Meditation Mindfulness Positive Psychology Training) to compare meditation play and art therapy programs and measure their effects on child anxiety, mindfulness, and self-regulation improvement. The subjects were 4th and 6th graders located in K city, Gyeonggi-do, and there were a total of 18 students, consisting of 6 in meditation play, 6 in art therapy, and 6 in control groups. The research period was from mid-April 2022 to mid-July 2022, and the two groups participating in meditation play and art therapy programs were treated once a week for 40 minutes, for a total of 10 sessions, and the control group was not treated. Mindfulness (K-CAMM) by Greco, Baer and Smith (2011), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) by Spielberger (1973), and Self-Regulation Abilities by Heo Jeong-kyung (2004) were used as measurement tools. For data analysis, SPSS 22.0 was used. For the results of the study, As a result, compared to the control group, the art therapy given to experimental group 2 decreased anxiety, increased mindfulness, and increased self-regulation compared to the meditation play given to experimental group 1. This paper has significance as it is the first in Korea to compare children's meditation play and art therapy programs to compare and verify their effectiveness on anxiety, mindfulness, and self-regulation.