Intimate Partner Violence in Transgender and Nonbinary Relationships: Actor-Partner Associations with Relationship Satisfaction, Dyadic Coping, and Partner Support

Abstract

Purpose: Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) adults experience disproportionate levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared with cisgender populations. Most research with TNB samples has focused on individual and demographic risk factors associated with IPV. Scarce research with TNB samples has evaluated how relational factors correlate with IPV victimization, which would be more consistent with dyadic models of IPV. The current study assessed associations between relational factors and psychological and physical victimization among TNB adults and their significant others. Methods: The sample included 112 dyads (total N = 224; mean [M] relationship length = 8.2 years; M age = 35) comprising a TNB adult and their significant other. Given our dyadic sample, we used actor-partner interdependence models to assess actor (i.e., intrapersonal) and partner (i.e., cross-partner) associations between relational factors (e.g., relationship satisfaction, dyadic coping, and partner social support) and IPV victimization among TNB individuals and their partners. Results: We identified numerous actor-partner effects across dyadic coping subscales and measures of partner support on TNB adult reports of IPV victimization. Actor effects were also significant for relationship satisfaction on both TNB and their partner's reports of IPV victimization. Conclusion: Results provide some of the first evidence of relational factors in association with IPV victimization among TNB adults and their intimate partners. These findings have clinical implications for identifying TNB individuals at risk for IPV in their relationships.

Keywords: dyadic coping; intimate partner violence; nonbinary; relationship quality; transgender.