Examining the Role of Forgiveness in the Association Between Trait Mindfulness and Psychological Partner Aggression Among Dating College Students

Abstract

Psychological partner aggression is the most prevalent form of partner aggression among college students and may precede more physically injurious forms of aggression. Yet, few studies examine potentially malleable protective factors that may reduce psychological partner aggression among college students. Trait mindfulness may indirectly serve as a protective factor against partner aggression by facilitating forgiveness of relationship transgressions. Examining this plausibility carries implications for mitigating psychological partner aggression within this population. Using a cross-sectional sample of 236 (73.7% women) undergraduates, the present study tested the hypothesis that greater trait mindfulness would indirectly associate with less frequent psychological partner aggression perpetration through a greater tendency to forgive. Trait mindfulness had a significant total effect on predicting psychological partner aggression perpetration (β = −.19,p< .01). With the tendency to forgive included in the model, the effect of trait mindfulness was reduced (β = −.14,p< .001). There was a significant indirect effect of the tendency to forgive (β = −.19, standard error = .19; 95% confidence interval: [−.90, −.14]), suggesting that forgiveness partially explained the association between trait mindfulness and psychological partner abuse perpetration. Results suggest that college students who are more mindful are more likely to forgive and, in turn, perpetrate psychological partner aggression less frequently. Findings may inform future clinical inquiry into the utility of mindfulness and forgiveness in reducing psychological partner aggression perpetration.