From suffering to support: Applying the essence of spiritual care to compassion education for children and young people

Palliat Care Soc Pract. 2026 Mar 19;20:26323524261432234. doi: 10.1177/26323524261432234. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In Japan, challenges such as bullying, school absenteeism, and rising rates of self-harm and suicide among children and young people have become pressing social concerns, reflecting patterns of emotional distress and social disconnection. Strengthening relational capacities for recognizing suffering and support has therefore emerged as an important educational and public health priority.

AIM: This study explores how children and young people participating in the Lessons of Life program (LLP) sessions articulate suffering, support, and emerging orientations toward compassion in their written reflections.

METHODS: This practice-based qualitative study analysed written reflections collected between 2018 and September 2025 following the implementation of LLP sessions in formal educational settings across Japan. Certified trainers delivered 1059 sessions. Approximately 65,000 free-text reflections, produced as part of routine educational activities, were examined inductively to identify recurring patterns in how participants articulated experiences of suffering, support, and relational orientation.

RESULTS: Three overarching themes were identified: (1) noticing suffering and support; (2) reconstructing self-worth and meaning through relational support; and (3) emerging orientations toward compassionate action. Reflections included accounts of previously unspoken distress reframed, through being understood, into intentions for mutual care and supportive action.

CONCLUSION: This exploratory study suggests that principles derived from spiritual care may be meaningfully translated into educational contexts. Rather than demonstrating effectiveness, the findings are descriptive and hypothesis-generating, highlighting relational processes through which children and young people may reinterpret everyday suffering, experience themselves as “good enough” through being understood, and sometimes articulate orientations toward compassionate relationships.

PMID:41884686 | PMC:PMC13010043 | DOI:10.1177/26323524261432234