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Mindfulness and Couple Relationships

  • Chapter
Mindfulness and Buddhist-Derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction

Part of the book series: Advances in Mental Health and Addiction ((AMHA))

Abstract

Being in a satisfying romantic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of overall life satisfaction and well-being. In the present chapter, we examine the possibility that mindfulness may be beneficial to romantic relationships. To date, most of the scientific literature has examined whether mindfulness enhances individual well-being and functioning or reduces individual distress. However, more recently, there has been increasing focus on the potential benefits of mindfulness for interpersonal outcomes. We begin with a review of the available theoretical and empirical evidence pertaining to the influence of dispositional mindfulness on couple relationship processes and discuss a range of potential mechanisms that might explain why mindfulness may facilitate healthy relationships, including enhanced emotion regulation, increased acceptance, and greater capacity to engage in self-change to enhance the relationship. We then discuss the use of mindfulness-based interventions to enhance couple relationships and alleviate couple relationship distress. We conclude with a discussion of the clinical utility of mindfulness for use with distressed couples and outline directions for future research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Christopher A. Pepping

  2. University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    W. Kim Halford

Authors
  1. Christopher A. Pepping
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  2. W. Kim Halford
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Correspondence to Christopher A. Pepping .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Awake to Wisdom, Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness Research, and Psychology Division, Chaucer Building, Bodhayati School of Buddhism, Nottingham, UK, and Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Edo Shonin

  2. & Nottingham Trent Univ., Bodhayati School of Buddhism, Nottingham & Nottingham Trent Univ., Nottingham, United Kingdom

    William Van Gordon

  3. Nottingham Trent University , Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Mark D. Griffiths

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Pepping, C.A., Halford, W.K. (2016). Mindfulness and Couple Relationships. In: Shonin, E., Gordon, W., Griffiths, M. (eds) Mindfulness and Buddhist-Derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction. Advances in Mental Health and Addiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22255-4_19

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