TY - JOUR
T1 - Mindfulness during romantic conflict moderates the impact of negative partner behaviors on cortisol responses
AU - Laurent, Heidemarie K.
AU - Hertz, Robin
AU - Nelson, Benjamin
AU - Laurent, Sean M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a Faculty Grant-in-Aid from the University of Wyoming and a Basic Research Grant from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wyoming, both awarded to the first two authors. These funding sources had no role in the design, execution, or interpretation of data from the study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - This study was designed to test whether romantic partners' mindfulness-present moment, nonjudgmental awareness-during a conflict discussion could buffer the effects of negative partner behaviors on neuroendocrine stress responses. Heterosexual couples (n= 88 dyads) provided 5 saliva samples for cortisol assay during a laboratory session involving a conflict discussion task. Conflict behaviors were coded by outside observers using the System for Coding Interactions in Dyads, and partners rated their mindfulness during the task using the Toronto Mindfulness Scale. Interactions tested using multilevel modeling revealed that participants with higher levels of mindfulness during the conflict showed either quicker cortisol recovery or an absence of slowed recovery in the presence of more negative partner behaviors. Whereas the attitudinal component of mindfulness (curiosity) moderated effects of negative partner engagement in the conflict (i.e., attempts to control, coerciveness, negativity and conflict), the attentional component of mindfulness (decentering) moderated the effect of partner disengagement (i.e., withdrawal). These findings lend support to the idea that mindfulness during a stressful interaction can mitigate the physiological impacts of negative behaviors.
AB - This study was designed to test whether romantic partners' mindfulness-present moment, nonjudgmental awareness-during a conflict discussion could buffer the effects of negative partner behaviors on neuroendocrine stress responses. Heterosexual couples (n= 88 dyads) provided 5 saliva samples for cortisol assay during a laboratory session involving a conflict discussion task. Conflict behaviors were coded by outside observers using the System for Coding Interactions in Dyads, and partners rated their mindfulness during the task using the Toronto Mindfulness Scale. Interactions tested using multilevel modeling revealed that participants with higher levels of mindfulness during the conflict showed either quicker cortisol recovery or an absence of slowed recovery in the presence of more negative partner behaviors. Whereas the attitudinal component of mindfulness (curiosity) moderated effects of negative partner engagement in the conflict (i.e., attempts to control, coerciveness, negativity and conflict), the attentional component of mindfulness (decentering) moderated the effect of partner disengagement (i.e., withdrawal). These findings lend support to the idea that mindfulness during a stressful interaction can mitigate the physiological impacts of negative behaviors.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.01.005
DO - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.01.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 26795454
AN - SCOPUS:84955092884
SN - 0018-506X
VL - 79
SP - 45
EP - 51
JO - Hormones and Behavior
JF - Hormones and Behavior
ER -