An Initial Investigation of the Relation Between Mindfulness and Female-Perpetrated Dating Violence

Dating violence is a prevalent problem among female college students. Several researchers have called for a continued investigation of risk and protective factors for aggression that can be modified through prevention programming. Mindfulness, the ability to be aware and open to the present moment in a nonjudgmental manner (Kabat-Zinn, 1994), may be one such protective factor. However, we are unaware of research that has examined whether individuals higher in mindfulness report less dating violence perpetration. This study investigated this question within a sample of female undergraduate students (N = 379). Findings demonstrated that several facets of mindfulness, particularly describing, acting with awareness, and nonreactivity, were associated with less psychological or physical aggression perpetration in the previous year. Moreover, several mindfulness facets were able to differentiate individuals with a history of perpetration relative to individuals without a history of perpetration. These findings provide preliminary evidence that mindfulness may play an important role in dating violence. Directions for future research on the relation between mindfulness and dating violence are discussed.