Mindfully Managing Life Experiences Together

Abstract

Up to 69% of the general population will experience a traumatic event across the lifetime (Resnick, Kilpatrick, Dansky, Saunders, & Best, 1993). Of this population, only approximately 6.8% of people will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while a larger subset will develop subthreshold symptoms of anxious, depressive, or post-traumatic stress disorders (Kessler, Berglund, et al., 2005; Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005). Romantic relationships and social support have proven to be a powerful buffer against psychological distress (van der Kolk, Perry, & Hermann, 1991; Johnson & Rheem, 2012). Mindfulness meditation, rooted in Buddhism, has been increasing in popularity as a mental health tool and is used to treat depression, reduce stress, reduce anxiety, enhance self-perception, and assist into integrating mindfulness into everyday life (Bauer-Wu, 2010; Ledesma & Kumano, 2009). Trauma tends to increase distress in both romantic partners which in turn can decrease relationship satisfaction. Lowering distress symptoms caused by trauma can help partners begin to rebuild relationship satisfaction. The present study examined couples and mindfulness in the context of trauma, looking to lower psychological distress while increasing relationship satisfaction and mindfulness behavior. Thirty-two (N=64) couples completed measures assessing relationship satisfaction, psychological distress, trauma history, and mindfulness behaviors. Couples completed a mindfulness psychoeducation and two meditations, then returned after a two-week period to complete a subset of the Time 1 measures. Overall, data did not support a significant relationship between mindfulness, relationship satisfaction, and psychological distress.