Danger signs in romantic relationships: the role of mindfulness
Date
2019
Authors
Walton, Veronica O., author
Quirk, Kelley, advisor
Harvey, Ashley, committee member
Harman, Jennifer, committee member
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Abstract
Danger signs in romantic relationships signal relational distress, dissolution, and dissatisfaction (Gottman, 1993; Markman, Stanley, & Blumberg, 2010b). Little is known about how mindfulness may improve danger sign identification and how important experiences may be influential in detection including one's betrayal trauma, interparental conflict, social isolation, and attachment style. Participants viewed videos of couples interacting and were instructed to identify negative interaction patterns through a digital analogue assessment via key presses. Half of participants were randomized to a mindfulness condition. Results revealed that mindfulness engagement was significantly related to the identification of danger signs, as compared to the control group. Additionally, results showed that higher reports of betrayal trauma and interparental conflict were significantly negatively associated with ability to recognize danger signs, including mindfully-induced participants. Interestingly, insecure attachment was significantly related to greater danger sign identification for both the main effect and moderation, and social isolation appeared insignificant. Importantly, this study lends support for the notion that early exposure to unhealthy relationship dynamics may be influential for future recognition of danger signs in intimate partnerships, and that mindfulness appears to play a key role in detection.