Pearce, Crystal (University of Wollongong, Australia)
Emotion regulation strategy in interpersonal relationships: the explanatory role of mindfulness and attachment
Recent studies have shown notable behavioural and psychological similarities between attachment styles and mindfulness in adult populations. Attachment theory highlights the two main attachment styles within relationships as secure and insecure. Secure attachment is characterised by one’s ability to create meaningful interpersonal relationships, to communicate and regulate emotions effectively, whereas insecurely attached individuals have trouble maintaining relationships due to inconsistency, dependency or avoidant behaviour. Secure attachment is associated with relationship satisfaction and adaptive emotion regulation (ER) where individuals are less likely to be overwhelmed by emotions associated with fear of abandonment (anxious attachment) or suppress emotional needs (avoidant attachment). Studies have shown anxious attachment to negatively correlate with mindfulness in non-meditators, furthermore, cross-sectional research indicates that difficulties in ER mediate the association between insecure attachment and mindfulness. Mindfulness training enhances ER abilities highlighted through Garland, Gaylord and Park’s 2009 ‘Mindful Coping Model’ that proposes the metacognitive mode of mindfulness allows the shift from stress appraisals to positive reappraisals. Whilst findings show a correlation between dispositional mindfulness and attachment style, there is no current research that examines a causal association between mindfulness and attachment. This study aims to determine a directional relationship, hypothesizing that mindfulness training will increase attachment security, with ER mediating this relationship. An initial cross-sectional study will be undertaken to replicate previous findings that show dispositional mindfulness correlates with attachment style in non-meditators. A second pre-post examination of an eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course will be completed to determine whether mindfulness training facilitates a secure attachment style within interpersonal relationships. The examination of this relationship will determine if emotion regulation is a mediator, and whether mindfulness training increases interpersonal relationship satisfaction.
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Emotion regulation strategy in interpersonal relationships: the explanatory role of mindfulness and attachment
Recent studies have shown notable behavioural and psychological similarities between attachment styles and mindfulness in adult populations. Attachment theory highlights the two main attachment styles within relationships as secure and insecure. Secure attachment is characterised by one’s ability to create meaningful interpersonal relationships, to communicate and regulate emotions effectively, whereas insecurely attached individuals have trouble maintaining relationships due to inconsistency, dependency or avoidant behaviour. Secure attachment is associated with relationship satisfaction and adaptive emotion regulation (ER) where individuals are less likely to be overwhelmed by emotions associated with fear of abandonment (anxious attachment) or suppress emotional needs (avoidant attachment). Studies have shown anxious attachment to negatively correlate with mindfulness in non-meditators, furthermore, cross-sectional research indicates that difficulties in ER mediate the association between insecure attachment and mindfulness. Mindfulness training enhances ER abilities highlighted through Garland, Gaylord and Park’s 2009 ‘Mindful Coping Model’ that proposes the metacognitive mode of mindfulness allows the shift from stress appraisals to positive reappraisals. Whilst findings show a correlation between dispositional mindfulness and attachment style, there is no current research that examines a causal association between mindfulness and attachment. This study aims to determine a directional relationship, hypothesizing that mindfulness training will increase attachment security, with ER mediating this relationship. An initial cross-sectional study will be undertaken to replicate previous findings that show dispositional mindfulness correlates with attachment style in non-meditators. A second pre-post examination of an eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course will be completed to determine whether mindfulness training facilitates a secure attachment style within interpersonal relationships. The examination of this relationship will determine if emotion regulation is a mediator, and whether mindfulness training increases interpersonal relationship satisfaction.
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