Partner Gender and Relationship Satisfaction Among Transgender and Nonbinary Adults: The Indirect Effect of Partner Affirmation

The present study evaluated if transgender and nonbinary (TNB) adults in intimate relationships with other TNB partners (referred to as "transgender-for-transgender" or "T4T" relationships) have higher relationship satisfaction compared to TNB adults in relationships with cisgender partners ("TNB-cis" relationships) through the indirect pathway of partner gender affirmation. We recruited 256 TNB adults who were in relationships of at least 6 months. Approximately 55% of participants had cisgender partners, while 45% of participants had TNB partners. We utilized Hayes PROCESS models to assess the indirect effect of partner gender (cisgender vs. TNB) on relationship satisfaction through partner affirmation. All hypotheses were supported, demonstrating that TNB adults in T4T relationships reported higher levels of relationship satisfaction compared to TNB adults in TNB-cis relationships and preliminary evidence that this relationship functioned through the indirect pathway of higher reports of gender affirmation from their partners. Results suggest that T4T relationships may offer some strengths, on average, compared to TNB-cis relationships. Clinical implications include that partner gender affirmation may be a potential treatment target to improve relationship satisfaction in intimate relationships with one or more TNB partners.