Dyadic Association Between New Parents' Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction: Mediating Role of Perceived Stress

Abstract

The transition to parenthood is marked by increased potential stressors and relationship satisfaction declines among new parents. Recently, it has been suggested that people with greater mindfulness perceived their environment as less stressful during difficult times in life, which in turn, is associated with greater relationship satisfaction. Accordingly, this dyadic diary study evaluated if perceived stress explains the link between new parents' mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. A total of 78 new parent couples ( N = 156 participants; M = 6 months postpartum) provided ecologically valid perceived stress and relationship satisfaction data by responding to a questionnaire on their smartphones, between 7 p.m. and midnight, for 14 consecutive days. Data were analyzed using Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM). Results revealed that parents with higher mindfulness reported lower perceived stress, which in turn was associated with them reporting higher relationship satisfaction. In addition, one’s mindfulness was directly positively associated with their partner’s relationship satisfaction. Lastly, when all partner effects between mindfulness, perceived stress and relationship satisfaction were tested together without defining specific partner paths, one’s mindfulness was positively associated with their partners’ relationship satisfaction. Our findings extend current knowledge on the dyadic association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction during the transition to parenthood by highlighting perceived stress as a key variable underlying this relationship.