Social relationship experiences of transgender people and their relational partners: A meta-synthesis

Rationale: Social relationships are important in bolstering health and well-being for everyone in the general population. For transgender people, strong supportive social relationships may be paramount to their overall health and well-being due to their marginalised status in society. Objective: This review aimed to investigate what is currently known about the social relationship experiences of transgender people and their relational partners (e.g., family members, romantic partners). Methods: Thirty-nine qualitative papers were extracted from Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, and PubMed that related to social relationships of transgender people. These papers were analysed via a qualitative meta-synthesis. Results: Forty-nine second-order themes were identified, initially organised into relational partner clusters (e.g., family, friends, work colleagues) for specific phenomena, then these were synthesized into five overarching conceptual themes: (1) Development of relationships through transition and beyond, (2) Coping strategies of transgender people and their relational partners, (3) Reciprocal support in social relationships, (4) Stigma enacted and ameliorated interpersonally, and (5) Influence of stigma on social health and well-being. Discussion and conclusions: These overarching themes show the potential characteristics that assist in the health-buffering role of social relationships for transgender people and their relational partners. Of particular note, stigma was reported as a common negative experience by transgender people and their relational partners, and open communicative social relationships had positive effects on self-conceptualisations of identity, which were inferred to protect against the damaging effects of stigma. We discuss the various implications and applications of this meta-synthesis to future research and clinical settings as well as how it can inform healthcare policy to support transgender people.