Investigating the attachment style, dyadic adjustment and gender roles attitudes in individuals with gender dysphoria and their partners

Aim & Scope: It is being thought that the presence and quality of relationships to psychosocial adjustment and well-being is important. Little is known about the romantic relationships of individuals with gender dysphoria. In the last thirty years, attachment theory has become one of the main references for adult romantic relationship studies. Despite the importance of attributed to the attachment system for overall psychological well-being and the quality of adult relationships, little research has focused on the attachment of individuals with gender dysphoria. The present study focuses on researching the attachment style, dyadic adjustment and gender roles attitudes in individuals with gender dysphoria and their partners. Method: 101 transmen whom 60 of them have romantic relationships and their 50 partners are included in this study. "Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised", "Gender Roles Attitude Scale", "Childhood Trauma Questionnaire", "Beck Depression Inventory" and "Beck Anxiety Inventory" are conducted to all attendees. "Dyadic Adjustment Scale" is also conducted to the individuals with gender dysphoria who has romantic relationships and their partners and we used data form which is included sociodemographic and family features for all participants. Results: Prevalence of insecure attachment style is found high in all groups. Regarding the correlation between attachment style and dyadic adjustment, the dyadic adjustment points in individuals with gender dysphoria who have romantic relationship with secure attachment style is found significantly higher than who have romantic relationship with insecure attachment style. The average relationship duration of the participants who have romantic relationship with secure attachment style is higher than the participants who have romantic relationship with insecure attachment style. It is found that all participants have egalitarian attitudes in general terms. The egalitarian attitudes subscale points of gender role attitude scale in individuals with gender dysphoria who have romantic relationship is found significantly higher than the egalitarian attitudes subscale points of gender role attitude scale in partners. The obtained data are also evaluated for three groups. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, the present thesis constitutes the first study in Turkey, which researching the attachment style, dyadic adjustment and gender roles attitudes in individuals with gender dysphoria and their partners, is analyzed. In this study, prevalence of insecure attachment style is elevated high in all groups. Attachment styles and romantic relationships are fundamental components for psychosocial adjustment and well-being. Thus, clinical work should assess attachment styles as a standard part of evaluation, and increasing a person's sense of security should be primarily intended. Therefore, individual and group psychotherapeutic work aimed at reshaping IWMs could directly or indirectly facilitate access to support groups, reinforce a more positive self-image. Keywords: Gender dysphoria, romantic relationship, attachment style, dyadic adjustment, partner, gender role attitude