Examining the Effectiveness of a Relational Savoring Task for White-identified Partners in an Interracial Romantic Relationship

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak that were heightened in the United States between 2020 and 2021, reports of racial discrimination increased compared to year’s past for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC). Experiences of racial discrimination are stressful, and individuals in a romantic relationship may turn to their partner to receive support. However, in the context of interracial romantic relationships where one partner identifies as White, experiences of racial discrimination may be sometimes dismissed or minimized from the White partner, which may further the distress of their BIPOC partner. Nevertheless, supportive behaviors, such as empathy, may alleviate distress and validate one’s experience of racial discrimination. Relational savoring is an online intervention that has been theorized to increase empathy and perspective taking by focusing on positive relational memories associated with one’s partner, grounded in attachment theory. The purpose of this study was to examine whether relational savoring was effective in increasing empathy and perspective taking in a sample of White identified individuals who are in a romantic relationship with a BIPOC partner. This study collected data from 111 White identified individuals in an interracial romantic relationship with a BIPOC partner for an average of 8.9 years. It was hypothesized that White identified individuals who participated in a relational savoring task would report increased empathy and perspective taking when their partner experiences a racially discriminatory event via a vignette, compared to those in the control condition. Contrary to the study’s hypothesis, participation in the relational savoring task did not statistically change White participant’ ability to perspective take and report empathic concern when faced with their partner experiencing acts of racial microaggression. Results did, however, show that relational savoring, compared with a control condition, is effective in decreasing negative emotion after exposure to a vignette that depicts a racial microaggression.