Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42137833›Full record

ArticleNarra J2026

Loving-kindness moderates the association between neuroticism and anxiety symptoms among Thai older adults.

Moe P Phyu, Justin DeMaranville, Peerasak Lerttrakarnnon, Danny Wedding, Nahathai Wongpakaran, Tinakon Wongpakaran

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Narra J, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

6 authors.

Moe P PhyuMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Justin DeMaranvilleMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Peerasak LerttrakarnnonMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Danny WeddingMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Nahathai WongpakaranMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Tinakon WongpakaranMental Health Program, Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The global population is experiencing rapid aging, and the mental health needs of older adults have become an urgent public health concern, with anxiety levels becoming increasingly prevalent among older adults. In Thailand, stress and anxiety among older adults are anticipated to double in the next decade. Neuroticism, characterized by emotional instability and an impulse for negative feelings, is a significant psychological characteristic associated with anxiety. Older adults with higher neuroticism have heightened sensitivity to stress and frequently struggle with emotional regulation, hence increasing their vulnerability to anxiety and other mental health disorders. Loving-kindness, a core Buddhist principle, has been shown to benefit mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, primarily in Western or short-term settings. However, there is limited research assessing its role among older adults in Buddhist cultural contexts, such as Thailand. This study investigated whether loving-kindness moderated the relationship between neuroticism and anxiety symptoms among 232 Thai adults aged 60 and above, using secondary data collected between December 2019 and September 2022. Measures included the Neuroticism Inventory, Core Symptom Index for anxiety, and the Inner Strength-Based Inventory for loving-kindness. Multiple regression analysis evaluated potential moderating effects. The results revealed that anxiety had a positive correlation with neuroticism and a negative correlation with loving-kindness and education; nevertheless, an unexpected pattern occurred in the moderation analysis. Loving-kindness specifically enhanced the correlation between neuroticism and anxiety at high levels, rather than mitigating it. Older adults exhibiting higher levels of neuroticism and loving-kindness reported increased anxiety symptoms. Education was identified as a protective factor, exhibiting a negative correlation with anxiety. Loving-kindness did not mitigate the effect of high neuroticism on anxiety in Thai older adults. Rather, it intensified this correlation, indicating that robust prosocial characteristics lacking sufficient emotional regulation may exacerbate stressful emotions. These findings contradict prevailing theories regarding the universal advantages of loving-kindness and underscore the necessity for therapies that incorporate loving-kindness with emotional regulation and self-care in older adults.

Indexed as

AnxietyBuddhismNeuroticismAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedThailandanxietyBuddhist meditationLoving-kindnessmental healthneuroticism

Identifiers

PMID42137833
PMCPMC13170901

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.