THE EFFECT OF LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON SELF-COMPASSION IN TEACHERS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

Failure or unpleasant events can happen at any time, to anyone. In responding to negative events experienced, some individuals respond positively, some negatively. Previous research has shown that a negative response to failure and painful experiences is a picture of low self-compassion that can cause individuals to underestimate themselves, experience depression, and isolate themselves. In other studies, it is said that a person's self-compassion can be increased through appropriate coping. A Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM) is one of the coping techniques or methods which is concluded to be able to increase individual self-compassion. In this quasi-experimental study, the focus of the researcher was to conduct an intervention on the participants to see whether the LKM was effective in increasing the participants' self-compassion. This research was conducted at a special school "X" in Ciledug, Tangerang, involving 20 teachers of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) as participants. The sampling technique used was the purposive sampling technique. The processing data using a different test pre-test and post-test with the help of the SPSS program. The results of the study note that the t-count produced is -1.948 with a p-value of 0.083. As the p-value (0.083) < significance level (alpha = 10%), it means that at the 10% level of significance there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in the experimental group (EG). Therefore, it can be concluded that the LKM intervention is effective in increasing self-compassion in teachers of children with ID.