Anxiety is a common mental health issue linked to romantic relationships. People with insecure attachment styles (fearful or distant) tend to have more anxiety.
Mindfulness, the ability to focus on the present moment without judgment, might be a way to help. This study explores how mindfulness in romantic couples can influence anxiety linked to attachment styles.
Jaurequi, M. E., Kimmes, J. G., Seibert, G. S., Ledermann, T., & Roberts, K. (2023). The role of mindfulness between adult attachment and anxiety: A dyadic approach. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 12(3), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000197
Key Points
- The study examined whether trait mindfulness mediates the associations between attachment anxiety and avoidance and anxiety symptoms within and between romantic partners.
- Couple members’ own attachment anxiety and avoidance related to their own lower trait mindfulness and higher anxiety symptoms.
- A male partner’s attachment anxiety negatively related to his female partner’s trait mindfulness.
- Trait mindfulness mediated the associations between one’s own attachment anxiety/avoidance and one’s own anxiety symptoms (actor-actor effects).
- A female’s trait mindfulness mediated the association between her male partner’s attachment anxiety and her own anxiety symptoms (partner-actor effect).
- The research had limitations including a cross-sectional design and use of only heterosexual couples.
Rationale
Prior research consistently links adult insecure attachment orientations and anxiety symptoms (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2012).
In the context of contemporary frameworks on romantic relationships and health, Pietromonaco and Collins (2017) and Slatcher and Schoebi (2017) suggest that the link between relationship processes (e.g., attachment anxiety and strategies) and well-being outcomes can be explained through intrapersonal processes.
They argue that intrapersonal processes, which include a tendency to be open, attune, and objectively appraise interactions with a romantic partner, facilitate a sense of connection and comfort that can attenuate negative affect.
Thus, trait mindfulness, conceptualized as a similar intrapersonal process, may provide a clinically relevant mechanism for addressing how attachment anxiety and avoidance relate to anxiety symptoms.
People with higher levels of attachment anxiety or attachment avoidance who have a lower ability to pay nonjudgmental attention to present-moment experiences may have higher levels of anxiety symptoms. This is because lower mindfulness is associated with higher anxiety symptoms (Tomlinson et al., 2018)
While research has consistently shown that mindfulness serves as an important mediator between insecure attachment orientations (attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and anxiety symptoms, there is a lack of research examining this mediating role of trait mindfulness within the context of romantic relationships.
This study addressed this gap by testing trait mindfulness as a mediator between attachment and anxiety within and between romantic partners, accounting for the interdependence in couple relationships.
Method
This was a cross-sectional survey study. Couples completed an online survey separately from their partner.
Sample: Participants were 219 heterosexual couples (438 individuals) who had been together for at least 1 year.
The average age was 39 for males and 36 for females. The majority were White/Caucasian, married, and together, an average of 11 years.
Measures: The 12-item Experiences in Close Relationships-Short Form (ECR-S) measured attachment anxiety and avoidance.
Trait mindfulness was assessed with the 15-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Anxiety symptoms were captured by the 6-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory short form (STAI-6).
All measures demonstrated adequate reliability.
Statistical Analysis: The Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) was used to test the hypotheses while accounting for the non-independence between romantic partners.
This model estimates actor effects (associations within a person) and partner effects (associations between partners). Significance of indirect effects was tested using bootstrapping with 5000 samples.
Results
- Higher attachment anxiety (H1a) and avoidance (H1b) in oneself related to lower trait mindfulness in oneself.
- A male partner’s higher attachment anxiety related to lower trait mindfulness in the female partner (H2a).
- One’s own lower trait mindfulness related to one’s own higher anxiety symptoms (H3a).
Significant indirect effects supported three mediational pathways
- One’s own attachment anxiety → One’s own lower mindfulness → One’s own higher anxiety (H4a)
- One’s own attachment avoidance → One’s own lower mindfulness → One’s own higher anxiety (H4b)
- Male’s attachment anxiety → Female’s lower mindfulness → Female’s higher anxiety (H5)
Insight
This study shows that trait mindfulness helps explain how insecure attachment relates to anxiety not just within a person, but also between romantic partners.
This research highlights how intrapersonal vulnerabilities and cognitive processes in one partner can interpersonally influence the other partner’s emotional health. Mindfulness is not just an individual resource but also a protective factor in romantic relationships.
An anxiously attached male’s excessive need for closeness seems to interfere with his female partner’s ability to be mindfully aware, which then contributes to her anxiety.
These dyadic findings extend previous individual-level research by highlighting the interpersonal effects of attachment insecurity and mindfulness.
They suggest a person’s mental health is tied to their partner’s relational patterns and cognitive traits.
However, the cross-sectional nature of this study precludes strong causal claims. Attachment security and mindfulness likely have bidirectional influences.
While increasing trait mindfulness may ameliorate the effects of attachment insecurity, attachment security likely also supports mindful awareness.
Future studies should examine these associations longitudinally and test if increasing mindfulness in one or both partners buffers the effects of insecure attachment on anxiety.
Research on same-sex couples is also needed. Observational measures of attachment behaviors and partner mindfulness would strengthen the findings.
Strengths
- Use of dyadic data analysis to account for couple interdependence
- Testing of direct and indirect partner effects
- Inclusion of both attachment anxiety and avoidance
- Large sample size of couples
- Well-validated measures
Limitations
- Cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions
- Sample limited to heterosexual couples, most of whom were White and married, limiting generalizability
- Self-report measures are subject to response biases
- Potential confounding variables like relationship commitment not accounted for
Clinical Implications
Clinically, the findings suggest attachment-based couple therapies for anxiety should assess and target both partners’ mindfulness.
Increasing mindful awareness, especially in female partners, may buffer the effects of a male’s attachment anxiety on the female’s anxiety symptoms.
Insecure attachment (anxiety and avoidance) is often rooted in primary emotions like loneliness, shame, or fear, which can transform into secondary emotions such as uneasiness, irritability, or worry.
Attachment-based treatments help individuals access, accept, and soothe these painful underlying emotions.
Mindfulness practices enable people to engage with difficult feelings openly and non-reactively, promoting emotional skillfulness and flexibility.
This can help insecurely attached individuals be more accepting and less reactive to their attachment fears, potentially reducing anxiety symptoms.
References
Primary reference
Jaurequi, M. E., Kimmes, J. G., Seibert, G. S., Ledermann, T., & Roberts, K. (2023). The role of mindfulness between adult attachment and anxiety: A dyadic approach. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 12(3), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000197
Other references
Jaurequi, M. E., Kimmes, J. G., Seibert, G. S., Ledermann, T., & Roberts, K. (2021). The role of mindfulness between adult attachment and anxiety: A dyadic approach. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000197
Macaulay, C. B., Watt, M. C., MacLean, K., & Weaver, A. (2015). Mindfulness mediates associations between attachment and anxiety sensitivity. Mindfulness, 6(6), 1263–1270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0390-y
Martin, D., Gillath, O., Deboeck, P., Lang, K., & Kerr, B. (2017). Changes in attachment security and mindfulness as predictors of changes in depression and general anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 36(9), 769–797. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2017.36.9.769
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2012). An attachment perspective on psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 11(1), 11–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wpsyc.2012.01.003
Pietromonaco, P. R., & Collins, N. L. (2017). Interpersonal mechanisms linking close relationships to health. American Psychologist, 72(6), 531–542. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000129
Slatcher, R. B., & Schoebi, D. (2017). Protective processes underlying the links between marital quality and physical health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 148–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.09.002
Tomlinson, E. R., Yousaf, O., Vittersø, A. D., & Jones, L. (2018). Dispositional mindfulness and
psychological health: A systematic review. Mindfulness, 9(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-
017-0762-6
Keep Learning
- How might a couple’s interacting attachment styles and mindfulness levels contribute to relationship conflict or satisfaction over time?
- In what ways could increasing mindfulness in one partner potentially change the attachment dynamic in a couple?
- How could future research tease apart the likely bidirectional influences between attachment, mindfulness, and anxiety in couples?
- What are some specific mindfulness practices or exercises that might be especially helpful for couples dealing with attachment insecurity and anxiety?
- How might the dyadic associations found in this study translate (or not) to other close relationships, like friendships or parent-child bonds?
