Practice makes Perfect? An Exploration of Benefits Gained from a six week Mindfulness-Based Couple Relationship Education Course by Sarah Elizabeth Thompson A thesis proposal submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Auburn, Alabama August 6, 2016 Keywords: couple relationship education, magnitude of practice, mindfulness, perception of health and stress, individual outcomes, couple outcomes Copyright 2016 by Sarah Elizabeth Thompson Approved by Thomas Smith, Chair, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Francesca Adler-Baeder, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Scott Ketring, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Abstract Mindfulness-Based Couple Relationship Education (MBCRE) courses seek to provide participants with skills that they can use to benefit themselves and their relationships. This pilot study of Couples Connecting Mindfully (CCM), a MBCRE course does just that through focusing both on individual and relational mindful practice. This project examined magnitude of practice, examining duration (number of minutes) and frequency (times) as well as the number of weeks participants’ attended the class in relation to a variety of outcome variables. Participants were 58 males and females who were recruited and attended a six-week mindfulness course.
The sample was split by gender. Mindfulness, stress level, positive and negative interactions, depressive symptoms, individual empowerment, confidence, and couple quality were the outcomes examined in this study. Analyses indicate that the duration of practice and number of weeks attended are significant predictors of outcomes for males, where frequency of practice is predictive of outcomes for females. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future studies for researchers and the teaching of CCM in the future for educators are discussed.
ii Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Thomas Smith for his guidance and wisdom throughout this Master’s thesis. This would not be possible if not for his constant support throughout my time in this program. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr.
Scott Ketring and Dr. Francesca Adler-Baeder. Both of these incredible people have gone above and beyond for me throughout this process and during my time at Auburn as a whole. Thank you to Julianne McGill and Rebecca Goodman for taking time out of your already hectic lives to mentor me and guide me through this thesis.
Thank you to my parents, who have been supportive of me in all my endeavors in life, but especially this one. I must thank my brothers Justin and Ross, who have helped me to find my own self-care and were able to make me breathe easier through just a conversation. I am thankful to God, because my faith has carried me through this when I could not carry the load myself. I would like to thank the incredible support I have found in my friends and family, both from near and long distance.
Thank you to my boyfriend, William Earles, for constantly showing me what patience and selflessness looks like, supporting me as I made my way through this program and thesis. To those who offered prayers, calls, dinners, and messages of support, you helped me to “just keep swimming” even when it felt I no longer could. Without this group of people supporting me I simply could not have accomplished this. I will be forever grateful to have learned from some of the most brilliant people I know.
iii Table of Contents Abstract. iii List of Tables .1 Mindfulness-based CRE. Review of Literature.5 Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Relational Outcomes for Participants in CRE .7 Mindfulness-based CRE .11 The Implementation of Practice in Mindfulness-Based CRE .14 Overview of Current Study .18 Program Design and Implementation .23 Plan of Analysis .27 Descriptive Statistics and Correlations .27 Hypothesis 1: Individuals who completed more times practicing their weekly homework assignments will report greater relationship quality, confidence, change in mindfulness, individual empowerment, positive interactions and less stress, negative interactions, and depressive symptoms than individuals who completed fewer times of weekly homework. Significant gender based differences among the associations of outcomes related to this hypothesis will occur.30 Hypothesis 2: Individuals who self-reported more time (minutes) in mindful practices on a weekly basis will report greater levels of change in mindfulness, positive interactions, relationship quality, individual empowerment, confidence, and lower stress levels, negative interactions, and depressive symptoms than individuals who self-reported less time (minutes) in weekly mindful practices.
Significant gender based differences among the associations of outcomes related to this hypothesis’ various outcomes will occur.30 Research Question 1: Do individuals who attend a greater number of classes (weeks) throughout the Couples Connecting Mindfully course report greater levels of change in mindfulness, positive interactions, relationship quality, individual empowerment, confidence, and lower stress levels, negative interactions, and depressive symptoms than those who attended a lesser number of classes? Will significant gender based differences among the associations of outcomes related to this research questions’ various outcomes occur? .32 Effect of Magnitude of Practice .34 Limitations and Future Directions .39 Appendix A: Change in Mindfulness Item .59 Appendix B: Global Stress Level Item .60 Appendix C: Positive and Negative Interactions Item .61 Appendix D: Depressive Symptoms Item.62 Appendix E: Individual Empowerment Item .63 Appendix F: Confidence and Commitment Items .64 Appendix G: Couple Quality Item .65 Appendix H: Weekly Surveys .66 vi List of Tables Table 1. Descriptive Statistics of Outcomes. Correlations of Variables with Outcomes Difference Scores for Females and Males. Linear Regression for Mindfulness for Males and Females.
Linear Regression for Stress for Males and Females. Linear Regression for Positive Interactions for Males and Females. Linear Regression for Negative Interactions for Males and Females. Linear Regression for Depressive Symptoms for Males and Females.
Linear Regression for Individual Empowerment for Males and Females. Linear Regression for Confidence for Males and Females. Linear Regression for Couple Quality for Males and Females. Demographics of CCM Participants.
Descriptive Statistics and T-test Results for Males for all Outcomes. Descriptive Statistics and T-test Results for Males for all Outcomes .58 vii Introduction CRE Couple Relationship Education (CRE) programs have become more popular over the last few decades with an aim to benefit couple’s relationships through teaching skills associated with healthy relationships and enhancing relational qualities (Hawkins & Ooms, 2012; Markman & Rhoades, 2012). With the popularity it has gained, the focus of CRE has moved from educating distressed couples to fostering the dynamics of well-functioning relationships and the foundation of love (Kozlowski, 2013). Research shows that couples who participate in CRE programs are more likely to practice forgiveness, communication, and commitment (Fincham, Stanley, & Beach, 2007; Gottman & Silver, 1999), which have been shown to benefit individuals physically and mentally.
These benefits are positive for individuals, but have a relational impact as well. A more recent addition in relation to CRE is the inclusion of mindfulness-based CRE, which very prominently includes a specific skill building through practice aspect to it. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to examine a six-week Mindfulness-Based CRE program, Couples Connecting Mindfully, to better understand the skill building/practice aspect of this type of CRE offerings. Overarching theory Social learning theory (Bandura, 1963) and experiential theory (Kolb, 1984) both play an important part in understanding how CRE may affect relationships.
Although a variety of theories have been utilized to explain behavior changes in attending CRE, the aforementioned 1 link education and behavioral changes. Bandura’s social learning theory suggests that people will take on behaviors that are modeled for them through others they view as more knowledgeable, focusing on the social context. Kolb’s experiential theory highlights the importance of interaction with others to learn. These two theories interact in this study seamlessly due to the promotion of both individual and paired skill building that is taught through example.
Mindfulness-based CRE Mindfulness is an open attention to and awareness of the present moment, without becoming engaged in emotional reactions to circumstances (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Khiry, Sharma, and Fournier’s meta-analysis (2015), established the practice of mindfulness as associated with lower anxiety, depression, and distress, as well as improved quality of life of healthy individuals. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of the book Full Catastrophe Living (1990), highlights the importance of the relationship in mindfulness. This is due to the innate promotion of unity, connection and closeness within relationships.
For example, the application of a loving kindness meditation has been shown to generate increased feelings of compassion, gentleness, and empathy towards someone else while also benefitting the individual practicing the meditation by calming their mind (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Mindful practices are correlated with many individual benefits that may also promote a healthier relationship (Kozlowski, 2013). Individual psychological well-being has been shown to facilitate stronger romantic relationships, which is possible through mindful practices because they have been shown to be associated with less psychological distress (Kozlowski, 2013). People who live a more mindful lifestyle also are likely to view their relationships in more positive ways because they are less likely to experience negative affectivity, an important predictor of relational conflict (Gottman & Evensong, 1992).
2 Carson, Carson, Gil, and Baucom (2004) found mindful practices to be efficacious in enriching romantic relationship functioning and improving individual psychological well-being across a wide range of measures. Carson et al., (2004) developed and utilized an 8 week mindfulness program derived from John Kabat-Zinn’s (1990) work aimed at enhancing the relationship of non-distressed couples through mindfulness based stress reduction strategies. Using randomized wait-list controlled trials, they studied 22 individuals through summary measures, before and after the intervention as well as three months later. The study used a daily diary method to measure outcomes for two pre-intervention weeks as well as the final three weeks of the eight week program.
Carson and colleagues focused on both individual well-being and relationship functioning, like the current study proposes to do. Empirical support was found for the implementation of a mindful approach to boost coping skills and relational functioning, reporting that “process of change measures showed improvements in individual relaxation, acceptance of partner, confidence in ability to cope, and overall functioning across a range of domains” (Carson et al. This evidence is just one example of the wide array of possible benefits that relational mindfulness can provide when adopted into one’s life. Studies have shown that mindfulness increases levels of empathy in medical school students, as well as encourages less avoidance in romantic relationships, highlighting the benefits of mindfulness to all types of relationships (Kozlowski, 2013).
The majority of research focused on relationship satisfaction and mindfulness uses the core principles of mindfulness combined with a relationship dynamic theory to justify studying the association (McGill, Adler-Baeder & Rodriguez, 2015). While many of the mindful practices taught are done so as individual practices, they are often relationally focused, highlighting the importance of caring for others, 3 not only one’s self. As the research is progressing, it is becoming more focused on mindfulness in combination with relationship education programs (McGill et al. Practice While everyone has heard the old saying “practice makes perfect,” the idea of practice in this type of program hasn’t been directly researched, whereas it has in other fields, for example education, including homework adherence and college education majors (Fernandez-Alonso, Suarez-Alvarez, & Muniz, 2015; Russel-Bowie, 2013).
In relation to physical activity, Suppli, Due, Henriksen, Rayce, Holstein, and Rasmussen (2012) conducted a longitudinal study in which a sample of 561 adolescent participants were followed from age fifteen to twenty-seven in relation to their physical activity levels. Findings from this study provide evidence that vigorous physical activity at an early age was predictive of similar levels later in life. This research highlights the fact that making a habit out of a practice over time contributes to the maintenance of that practice over time. This research also reflects some of the factors in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) created by Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross (1983).
TTM states that people move through a series of stages when modifying behavior. The last stage of TTM is the maintenance stage, which has been highlighted in the research above.
