The role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and responses to relationship stress.

By Sean W Barnes, Kirk Warren Brown, Elizabeth A. Krusemark, W. Keith Campbell, Ronald D. Rogge. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 2007

702 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Two studies examined the role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and in responses to relationship stress. Using a longitudinal design, Study 1 found that higher trait mindfulness predicted higher relationship satisfaction and greater capacities to respond constructively to relationship stress. Study 2 replicated and extended these findings. Mindfulness was again shown to relate to relationship satisfaction; then, using a conflict discussion paradigm, trait mindfulness was found to predict lower emotional stress responses and positive pre- and postconflict change in perception of the relationship. State mindfulness was related to better communication quality during the discussion. Both studies indicated that mindfulness may play an influential role in romantic relationship well-being. Discussion highlights future research directions for this new area of inquiry.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Social Psychology, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/99bc688995bf09c3fb7050117d40a1d0e665b073

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Citations in the corpus

What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. (2011, background): “In a between-groups experiment, premedical and medical students who participated in an 8-week MBSR training had significantly higher self-reported empathy than a control group (Shapiro, Schwartz, & Bonner, 1998). A qualitative study (Aiken, 2006) of therapists who were experienced meditators found t”
Mindfulness, Spousal Attachment, and Marital Satisfaction: A Mediated Model (2011, background): “The results of our study corroborate the few previous findings (e.g., Barnes et al., 2007; Burpee & Langer, 2004; Wachs & Cordova, 2007) indicating the positive implications mindfulness has for romantic relationship health.”
Toward a Phenomenology of Mindfulness: Subjective Experience and Emotional Correlates (2009, background): “In the second study in their series with dating couples, Barnes et al. (2007) tested the reliability of those findings in the heat of a relationship conflict.”
Mindfulness training and the cultivation of secure, satisfying couple relationships. (2013, positive): “Barnes et al. (2007) found that mindfulness may help to inoculate partners against relational stress.”
Mindful mating: exploring the connection between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction (2013, background): “…that have been found to partially mediate this connection include increased empathy (Shapiro et al., 1998; BlockLerner et al., 2007), emotion skillfulness (Wachs & Cordova, 2007), enhancements in sexual satisfaction (Brotto et al., 2008) and healthier stress responses (Barnes et al., 2007).”
Toward the Integration of Meditation into Higher Education: A Review of Research Evidence (2011, background): “…Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003), predicts a felt sense of relatedness and interpersonal closeness (Barnes, Brown, Krusemark, Campbell, & Rogge, 2007; Brown, 2007) as well as more adaptive responses to social stress (Barnes et al., 2007; Creswell, Eisenberger, & Lieberman, 2007).”
Attachment Theory and Mindfulness (2012, background): “In a study of couples in romantic relationships by Barnes et al. (2007), higher trait mindfulness was found to predict higher relationship satisfaction and a greater capacity to respond constructively to relationship stress.”
The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion in the Relationship of Mindfulness with Turnover Intentions and Job Performance (2016, background): “Also, mindfulness has been found to be related to better relationship quality (Barnes et al. 2007).”
Mindfulness at Work: Antecedents and Consequences of Employee Awareness and Absent-mindedness (2013, background): “Second, research also suggests that mindfulness leads to more skilful emotional relating to others (Wachs and Cordova 2007) and is associated with better interpersonal relationships (Barnes et al. 2007).”
Mindfully in Love: A Meta-Analysis of the Association Between Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction (2016, background): “One study (Barnes et al., 2007) completed two studies within one publication; therefore, there are two effect sizes calculated from that paper.”
Mindfulness, Work Climate, and Psychological Need Satisfaction in Employee Well-being (2015, background): “2009), better relationship quality (Barnes et al. 2007; Saavedra et al. 2010), and better affect regulation such as lower rumination (Carmody et al.”