Mindfulness and attachment security in romantic relationships
The role of emotion regulation as a mediator
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2923052 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Melody C Y Ng (0000-0002-6315-6286, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), Iris Yili Wang (0000-0001-8207-5011, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA), Rebecca Y M Cheung (0000-0003-0998-7991, University of Reading, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 142-161 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/02654075241292561 |
| OpenAlex | W4403286257 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 73 |
Research suggests that mindfulness is positively related to attachment security in romantic relationships. However, studies on the processes underlying this association are relatively scarce. In this longitudinal study, we investigated the mediating role of emotion dysregulation between mindfulness and attachment insecurity. A total of 333 Chinese university students were recruited for three time points, with a 6-month lag between time points, to complete self-report questionnaires of mindfulness, emotion dysregulation, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Cross-lagged mediation analysis showed that greater mindfulness was indirectly associated with lower attachment anxiety via lower emotion dysregulation, after controlling for age, gender, and autoregressive control variables, indicating emotion dysregulation as a mediator. However, emotion dysregulation did not mediate the longitudinal association between mindfulness and attachment avoidance. The present findings inform researchers of the importance of cultivating mindfulness and emotion regulation to enhance attachment security in romantic relationships
Anxiety · Association (psychology · Attachment theory · Developmental psychology · Insecure attachment · Longitudinal study · Mediation · Mediator · Mindfulness · Psychotherapist · Romance · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |