Perceptions of partner support among pregnant plurisexual women: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT

Although partner support is an established determinant of mental health, we know little about bisexual and other plurisexual people's experiences of support from their partners. Furthermore, very limited research has examined how bisexual or plurisexual people experience partner support during pregnancy, a significant life stage for many couples. This paper draws from semi-structured interviews with 29 plurisexual women partnered with different-gender (i.e. cisgender male or transgender) partners to examine women's perceptions of partner support during pregnancy. While participants reported many of the same partner support issues and dynamics that have been described in research with monosexual childbearing women, their experiences as plurisexual women were unique in two regards: (a) unconditional acceptance from partners was connected to the partner's support for their plurisexual identities/histories; and (b) social integration support often included shared integration into social networks related to their plurisexual experiences, including sexual networks. These findings offer important implications for sexual and relationship therapists, who can play an important role in helping to foster these plurisexual-specific forms of partner support, and in so doing, improve outcomes for women during this significant life stage.

KEYWORDS:

• Bisexual
• non-monosexual
• partner support
• perinatal
• plurisexual
• pregnancy
• qualitative

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to acknowledge the essential contributions of our participants, as well as research support from Corey Flanders, Alia Januwalla, Melissa Manley, Keisha Williams, Iradele Plante, and Melissa Marie Legge.

Disclosure Statement

The funder played no role in any aspect of conceptualizing, carrying out, or deciding to publish the study. The authors report no other disclosures.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant number R01MH099000].

Notes on contributors

Lori E. Ross

Lori E. Ross is Associate Professor in the Division of Social and Behavioural Health Sciences of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches in her research work, with a strong focus on integrating the principles of community-based research.

Abbie E. Goldberg

Lesley A. Tarasoff, MA, is a PhD candidate in Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the perinatal, maternal, and mental health of marginalized groups of women, including sexual minority women, women with physical disabilities, and women with substance use issues.

Lesley A. Tarasoff

Abbie E. Goldberg is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Clark University in Worcester MA. She studies diverse families and sexualities across the lifespan.

CiCi Guo

CiCi Guo is a third year undergraduate student in the Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. She is particularly interested in mental health and trauma research. Her current project is on the relationship between mental toughness and self-defeating behaviours.