Relationship mindfulness, negative relationship quality, and physical health.

Romantic relationships have the potential to be a great source of support or a significant stressor depending on the quality of the relationship. Given the importance of these relationships, it is important to explore possible predictors of relationship quality, primarily if such predictors can be targeted in a clinical setting. Relationship mindfulness, or the propensity to be mindful in the setting of a romantic relationship, is one such option. The current study explored the associations between relationship mindfulness, negative relationship quality, and physical health. An online assessment was completed by 116 middle-aged different-sex couples that measured the variables of interest. In addition, an Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model was utilized to determine significant associations between relationship mindfulness, negative relationship quality, and physical health for both actors and partners. The clinical implications are that relationship mindfulness may help to decrease negative relationship quality and subsequently benefit individual physical health.

Relationship satisfaction and sleep problems among college students: Serial indirect effects via relationship mindfulness and negative emotional symptoms.

ObjectiveThis study examined relationship mindfulness and negative emotional symptoms as serial mediators between relationship satisfaction and sleep problems. Participants: Participants were 242 college students currently in a romantic relationship recruited from a large southeastern university. Methods: Participants completed self-report measures of relationship satisfaction, relationship mindfulness, negative emotional symptoms and sleep disturbances. Serial mediation analyses were conducted, covarying age and attachment orientations. Results: Students who reported higher relationship satisfaction experienced lower sleep problems. Helping explain this association a significant serial mediation model was supported by which relationship mindfulness and subsequent negative emotional symptoms mediated relationship satisfaction and sleep problems. Conclusions: The degree to which a person is more mindful during interactions with a romantic partner appears to play a key role in how relationship satisfaction and negative emotional symptoms are linked to sleep problems.

Trait Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction: The Role of Forgiveness Among Couples.

This study sought to understand the link between trait mindfulness, forgiveness, and relationship satisfaction. Previous research established a significant positive relationship between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction, but forgiveness had not been studied in relation to these variables. Two hundred and nineteen couples in committed romantic relationships were included in the sample and completed self-report measures on trait mindfulness, forgiveness, and relationship satisfaction. Upon conducting an actor-partner interdependence model mediation (APIMeM; Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie, 2006, 37, 27-40) analysis for dyadic data, results indicated significant positive associations for both inter and intrapersonal effects for both men and women. Findings indicated forgiveness is linked to both individual and partner mindfulness and relationship satisfaction, such that a person's ability to be mindful can impact the ability to forgive and therefore increase relationship satisfaction.

An Examination of the Association Between Relationship Mindfulness and Psychological and Relational Well-being in Committed Couples.

Relationship mindfulness is the degree to which individuals tend to be mindful during interactions with romantic partners. In this study, we examined both the intrapersonal and interpersonal links between relationship mindfulness and psychological and relationship functioning in a sample of 219 couples who had been in their relationship for at least 1 year. Even when accounting for the general tendency to be mindful, relationship mindfulness was linked with markers of relationship well-being and psychological functioning, both intrapersonally and interpersonally. The findings bring to light the importance of considering relationship mindfulness in clinical work with couples that focuses on addressing deficiencies in relationship or psychological well-being.

A Meta-Analysis of Risk Markers for Intimate Partner Violence in Same-Sex Relationships.

Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) has largely focused on heterosexual relationships, but, in recent years, researchers have expanded their focus to include same-sex relationships. Using meta-analytic techniques, this study was conducted to examine the relative strength of various risk markers for men and women being perpetrators and victims of physical IPV in same-sex relationships. Articles were identified through research search engines and screened to identify articles fitting the inclusion criteria, a process that resulted in 24 studies and 114 effect sizes for the meta-analysis. The strongest risk marker among those with at least two effect sizes for both male and female perpetration was psychological abuse perpetration. The strongest risk marker among those with at least two effect sizes for IPV victimization was also perpetration of psychological abuse for males and psychological abuse victimization for females. Among same-sex-specific risk markers, internalized homophobia and fusion were the strongest predictors for being perpetrators of IPV for men and women, respectively. HIV status and internalized homophobia were the strongest risk markers for IPV victimization for men and women, respectively. Of 10 comparisons between men and women in risk markers for IPV perpetration and victimization, only 1 significant difference was found. The results suggest that although same-sex and heterosexual relationships may share a number of risk markers for IPV, there are risk markers for physical IPV unique to same-sex relationships. Further research and increased specificity in measurement are needed to better study and understand the influence of same-sex-specific risk markers for IPV.

Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction associated with Shifts in Dyadic Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in German Couples across Four Years.

Depression is a pervasive mental health concern; thus, it is important to identify modifiable factors associated with reducing depressive symptoms across time. Using 1,876 heterosexual couples assessed annually across 4 years from the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (Pairfam) study, time-varying covariate growth models tested if sexual and relationship satisfaction were linked with shifts in trajectories of depressive symptoms across time. For both men and women, higher sexual and relationship satisfaction scores were significantly associated with decreasing their own depressive symptom trajectories, but only relationship satisfaction was linked with their partners' depressive symptom trajectories. Potential clinical implications include the treatment of depressive symptoms by making changes across time in their own relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction.

Remembering the Good Times: The Influence of Relationship Nostalgia on Relationship Satisfaction Across Time.

We conducted two studies to understand if reminiscing about early parts of a romantic relationship can increase positive affect and relationship satisfaction. In Study 1, we examined the psychometrics of an adapted relationship nostalgia measure, if relationship nostalgia changes positive affect, and if relationship nostalgia and relationship satisfaction are associated. In Study 2, we tested the longitudinal link between relationship nostalgia and relationship satisfaction. Rather than increasing positive affect, relationship nostalgia is associated with a movement toward emotional homeostasis. Additionally, relationship nostalgia is positively associated with relationship satisfaction at the same time point but in the short term, the association is negative-long term, this association disappears. Implications for using a relationship history in therapy are discussed.

Mindfulness in the Context of Romantic Relationships: Initial Development and Validation of the Relationship Mindfulness Measure.

Trait mindfulness and mindfulness in the context of romantic relationships may not be completely overlapping constructs. This study adapted an existing measure of trait mindfulness to assess the tendency to be mindful in romantic relationships, the Relationship Mindfulness Measure (RMM). Using data from 185 young adults, the results supported the RMM's internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent and predictive validity. The RMM accounted for a significant portion of variance in positive relationship quality, negative relationship quality, and anxious and avoidant attachment, even after controlling for trait mindfulness. Based on these findings, assessing relationship mindfulness may improve research exploring the role of mindfulness in romantic relations and therefore facilitate the development and refinement of mindfulness training programs for couples.

Forgiveness in Romantic Relationships: The Roles of Attachment, Empathy, and Attributions.

Therapists can benefit from a more nuanced understanding of underlying processes associated with romantic partners forgiving one another. Greater understanding of the processes linked with forgiveness has the potential to improve therapists' facilitation of forgiveness between partners. Departing from the status quo, the purpose of this investigation was to explore benign attributions and empathy as mechanisms linking attachment with forgiveness. After conducting a longitudinal structural equation model with a sample of young adults in romantic relationships (N = 171), the results showed that benign attributions mediated the association between anxious attachment and forgiveness, and empathy mediated the association between avoidant attachment and forgiveness. Clinically, targeting working models of attachment that underlie benign attributions and empathy may facilitate forgiveness.