불교 명상에 관한 통합적 메타분석 : 국내 연구를 중심으로

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Modern society is facing a deepening mental health crisis, with the surge in depression and anxiety, the spread of psychological issues following the pandemic, and the stress of the digital age. Existing treatments, such as medication and psychotherapy, face limitations due to side effects, cost, and accessibility. Furthermore, institutional and social barriers exist, preventing many people from seeking treatment. Against this backdrop, meditation is gaining attention as an alternative treatment with low costs, minimal side effects, and high accessibility, and scientific research is rapidly increasing.
However, comprehensive reviews of existing meditation research often predate the COVID-19 pandemic and fail to reflect the recently changed social and psychological landscape. Furthermore, to fully understand the effects of meditation, an integrated approach combining quantitative and qualitative research is necessary.
This study first analyzed the flow of meditation intervention research from 2016 to 2025, chronologically, to identify how key keywords and research topics changed before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, focusing on recent post-COVID studies, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the overall effects of meditation interventions on psychological, emotional, and physical domains. Furthermore, by synthesizing qualitative studies examining the actual experiences of meditation participants, we explored the core experiences and meanings meditation provides to individuals and how these experiences function as mechanisms of change. This approach aimed to comprehensively understand the effectiveness and experiential nature of meditation interventions.
Three research methods were employed for this study. First, keyword network analysis was utilized to analyze trends. For this analysis, 4,838 keywords were extracted from 1,442 papers published in KCI-listed and candidate journals. Frequency analysis, centrality analysis (degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, and eigenvector centrality), cluster analysis, and time series analysis were performed. We tracked changes in research trends by dividing the period into before (2016-2019), during (2020-2023), and after (2024-2025) the COVID-19 pandemic.
A quantitative meta-analysis was conducted on 138 meditation intervention papers registered in the Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology (KCI) (including candidate papers) from 2024, post-COVID-19, to October 1, 2025. Based on the selection criteria (PISCOS), only papers involving structured meditation programs (minimum four sessions) were selected. The total number of participants was 6,366. Given the high level of heterogeneity (I²=93.0%) among studies, a random effects model was applied. The effect size was calculated using Hedges' g to measure the clinical effectiveness of meditation interventions. Publication bias tests, sensitivity analyses, and meta-regression analyses were also performed.
This qualitative meta-analysis adopted Noblit & Hare's meta-ethnography method to understand the in-depth structure of meditation intervention experiences. A total of eight qualitative studies on meditation experiences were selected from a domestic academic journal database. Core concepts were extracted and translated into a coherent whole, ultimately resulting in a higher-level line of argument synthesis. This analysis integrated meditation intervention experiences into three superordinate themes and seven subthemes, each representing a cyclical and synergistic process of change within an interconnected, dynamic process.
Keyword network analysis, a trend analysis, clearly demonstrated that the overall intellectual structure of meditation intervention research is centered around mindfulness. Mindfulness overwhelmingly ranked first in all centrality indices, demonstrating its centrality as a key keyword in this research field and mediating information flow. Furthermore, the "mental health and clinical intervention" cluster, which accounted for the largest proportion of the research topic within the network, confirmed the deep connection between meditation interventions and mental health issues such as depression, stress, and anxiety.
Analysis of temporal changes revealed a dynamic shift in research focus following the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, traditional Buddhist meditation concepts such as Vipassana formed the theoretical foundation of the network and displayed high centrality. However, during the pandemic, clinical keywords such as depression and stress and modern psychological concepts such as self-compassion rapidly increased in centrality, shifting the research focus to immediate mental health crisis response. In the post-pandemic era, the importance of self-compassion has been solidified, Vipassana has re-emerged as a key priority, and in the long term, meditation intervention research is developing into a paradigm that integrates modern psychological approaches and traditional theoretical foundations.
This meta-analysis examined the overall effectiveness of Buddhist meditation programs and their moderators, with a total of 6,366 participants across 138 studies. The overall effect size of the meditation program was small to medium, with a Hedges' g of 0.250, and statistically significant (<0.05). However, heterogeneity among individual studies was extremely high, at 93.0%, indicating substantial variability in the effect size. Therefore, applying a random-effects model was appropriate. Based on the symmetrical distribution of the funnel plot and the Egger's regression test, publication bias was not significant. Subgroup analyses to account for the heterogeneity in effect sizes revealed that the effects of meditation varied significantly by program type, participant age, and duration. Mindfulness-based meditation demonstrated the highest and most significant effect across program types. Analysis by participant age revealed that the effect sizes were significantly larger and statistically significant in the infant/child and adult groups. This suggests that the effects of meditation interventions vary across developmental stages. Furthermore, analysis by session (duration) revealed that only long-term programs showed statistically significant effects, demonstrating that a sufficient duration is essential for the effectiveness of meditation programs. Finally, examining the effects by key outcome variables, the meditation program had a positive impact on various psychological factors. In terms of enhancing positive effects, significant and significant improvements were confirmed in self-compassion and mindful problem-solving skills. In terms of alleviating negative symptoms, depression showed the greatest reduction effect, and anxiety and emotional dysregulation also showed statistically significant reductions. In conclusion, the Buddhist meditation program has significant effects overall, and it is particularly effective in mindfulness-based, long-term, and specific age groups (infants/children, adults) and psychological competencies (self-compassion, reduction of depression).
A qualitative meta-analysis identified three overarching themes that formed a cyclical and synergistic process of change within interconnected dynamic relationships. First, "Deepening Self-Awareness and Insight" encompassed rediscovering the body-mind connection, increasing awareness of breathing and bodily sensations, and enhancing emotional awareness and regulation (decentering and acceptance). Second, "Establishing Coping Strategies and Practice Systems" involved expanding informal meditation practices within daily life, such as walking and eating, to foster cognitive reevaluation of maladaptive thoughts and an accepting attitude, and establishing a sustainable, personalized practice system. Finally, "Changes in Relationships and Social Connections" encompassed effective communication through improved assertiveness and refusal skills, and social expansion through sharing others' experiences and forming a sense of community.
These three superordinate themes were interpreted as following a sequential and cumulative flow of 'self-awareness → coping strategies → relationship change', while forming a mutually reinforcing cyclical structure in which each stage reinforces the previous stage.
In particular, a model was presented in which mindfulness, which begins as an individual practice, develops into intersubjective mindfulness through shared experiences within a group and expands into relational practice.
This study comprehensively analyzed the multi-layered nature of Buddhist meditation research through a triangulation approach of keyword network analysis, effectiveness meta-analysis, and qualitative meta-analysis. It concluded that meditation has established itself as an empirically-based, holistic healing system that successfully integrates 2,500 years of traditional wisdom with 21st-century science. Keyword analysis revealed that "mindfulness" serves as a core hub, and the rapid rise of "self-compassion" and the resurgence of "vipassana" in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have formed a spiraling, integrated paradigm that reconnects traditional and modern psychology. In particular, the study demonstrated significant academic significance in that research trends (cluster structures) showed structural correspondence with the qualitative experience changes of participants. Effectiveness analysis revealed that the essential strength of meditation lies in building positive psychological capacities such as self-compassion and mindfulness, rather than in reducing symptoms such as depression or anxiety. Furthermore, long-term programs of at least three months are essential for maximizing effectiveness. Ultimately, we conclude that meditation offers an effective alternative to mental health crises, and the emergence of "K-meditation" offers the potential to contribute to the global market by building on Korean identity.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 제1장 서 론 ·········································································································· 1
• 제1절 연구의 필요성 및 목적 ····································································· 1
• 1. 연구의 필요성 ························································································· 1
• 2. 연구의 목적 ····························································································· 4
• 3. 연구 문제 ································································································· 5
• 제2절 선행연구 ································································································ 5
• 1. 명상 프로그램 ························································································· 5
• 2. 국내 선행연구 현황 ·············································································· 7
• 3. 본 연구의 제한점 ················································································ 15
• 제2장 불교 명상에 대한 동향 분석 ···························································· 18
• 제1절 동향 분석 ···························································································· 18
• 1. 키워드 네트워크 분석의 개념 ························································· 18
• 2. 키워드 네트워크 분석 방법 ······························································ 20
• 제2절 연구 대상 선정 및 분석 절차 ······················································ 21
• 1. 연구 대상 선정 ····················································································· 21
• 2. 분석 절차 ······························································································· 21
• 제3절 동향 분석 결과 ················································································· 23
• 1. 전체 네트워크 분석 결과 ·································································· 23
• 2. 시계열 분석 결과 ················································································ 28
• 제3장 불교 명상에 대한 양적 메타분석 ···················································· 36
• 제1절 양적 메타분석 ··················································································· 36
• 1. 효과성 메타분석의 개념 ···································································· 36
• 2. 효과성 메타분석의 분석 방법 ························································· 38
• 제2절 연구 대상 선정 및 분석 절차 ······················································ 39
• 1. 연구 대상 선정 ····················································································· 39
• 2. 분석 절차 ······························································································· 40
• 제3절 양적 메타분석 결과 ········································································· 42
• 1. 전체 효과 분석 결과 ·········································································· 42
• 2. 하위 집단 분석 결과 ·········································································· 45
• 3. 주요 결과 변인별 효과 분석 ···························································· 48
• 제4장 불교 명상에 대한 질적 메타분석 ···················································· 51
• 제1절 질적 메타분석 ··················································································· 51
• 1. 질적 메타분석의 개념 ········································································ 51
• 2. 질적 메타분석 방법 ············································································ 53
• 제2절 연구 대상 선정 및 분석 절차 ······················································ 54
• 1. 연구 대상 선정 ····················································································· 54
• 2. 분석 절차 ······························································································· 56
• 제3절 질적 메타분석 결과 ········································································· 58
• 1. 주요 분석 주제 ····················································································· 58
• 2. 통합적 해석 및 이론적 통찰 ···························································· 61
• 제5장 논의 및 결론 ························································································· 70
• 제1절 논의 ···································································································· 70
• 제2절 결론 ···································································································· 75
• 제3절 함의 및 제언 ······················································································ 77
• 참 고 문 헌 ·································································································· 81
• ABSTRACT ······································································································ 87