Plurisexual Parents and Their Partners: Differences Between Same-Gender Partnerships and Different-Gender Partnerships

Plurisexual (a person with more than one gender attraction) people represent the majority of parents under the LGBTQ+ umbrella and embody a unique group of parents with distinctive experiences and outcomes. Past research on plurisexual individuals suggests that there are differences in mental health and relational outcomes depending on the gender and/or sexual orientation of a plurisexual person’s romantic partner. However, this research has not been focused on parents who are an important subset of individuals with unique outcomes that may impact well-being. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine differences in resilience, positive identity, parenting self-efficacy, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction among plurisexual parents in different-gender partnerships and those in same-gender partnerships. The present study included a sample of 605 plurisexual parents in a relationship with at least one partner. Data were collected via online social media and Qualtrics Panels. Results indicated that after controlling for age, number of children, and relationship length, partner gender composition (same-gender partnership or different-gender partnership) predicted lower parenting self-efficacy for plurisexual women. There were no differences based on gender of partners for plurisexual men. Findings provide insight into the lived experiences of plurisexual parents and have implications for clinicians working with plurisexual parents and their partners.