Parenting Stress and Couple Relationship Quality Among Transgender and Gender Nonbinary (TGNB) Parents: The Mediating Role of Division of Childcare Labor Discrepancy and Moderating Role of Gender Identity
Open Access
Author:
Fang, Shixin
Graduate Program:
Human Development and Family Studies
Degree:
Master of Science
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
February 16, 2024
Committee Members:
Samantha Lauren Tornello, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Steffany Fredman, Committee Member Heidemarie Laurent, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies
Keywords:
Transgender and gender nonbinary parents Parenting stress Division of childcare labor discrepancy Couple relationship quality
Abstract:
Transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) people refer to people whose gender identity does not conform to the cultural and social expectations of the sex they were assigned at birth. Despite a substantial population of TGNB parents, research on how they navigate their experiences as parents, family dynamics, and couple functioning remains limited. This study investigated the association between parenting stress and couple relationship quality, and tested the mediating role of perceived division of childcare labor discrepancy (i.e., satisfaction with the current allocation of childrearing tasks) and the moderating role of gender identity (i.e., gender binary versus gender nonbinary) in such association in a sample of 228 TGNB parents. Results of structural equation modeling identified a conditional indirect pathway: Higher levels of parenting stress were negatively associated with lower couple relationship quality through greater division of childcare labor discrepancy only among nonbinary parents rather than binary parents. The findings of the current study shed initial light on the understudied intricacies of TGNB parents’ intersectional experiences of gender identity and intimate relationships, as well as parenthood. The practical significance of this study lies in its potential to raise practitioners’ and policymakers’ awareness of and sensitivity toward the nuanced experiences of TGNB parents. Additionally, such findings will inform targeted prevention/intervention programs that ultimately enhance couple relationship well-being through the development of a more desirable division of childcare labor.
