Practice makes Perfect? An Exploration of Benefits Gained from a six week Mindfulness-Based Couple Relationship Education Course

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.