ReviewFrontiers in psychology2019
Behind the Rainbow, "Tongqi" Wives of Men Who Have Sex With Men in China: A Systematic Review.
Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Marriage and Steady Relationships with Women in Men Who Have Sex with Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.AIDS and behavior · 2025Pooled it
- Social attitudes toward Tongqi among the general public and associated determinants: a mixed-methods study in Hubei Province, China.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Feasibility of a Mobile Health Intervention for Providing a Continuum of HIV Services for MSM: Pilot Study of the WeTest Program in 3 Cities in China.Current HIV research · 2024Observational
- Counselling and psychotherapy service use in Chinese sexual minority populations: a nationwide survey.BMC psychiatry · 2021Article
- Nursing research on intimate partner violence in China: A scoping review.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2020Article
- Mapping out a spectrum of the Chinese public's discrimination toward the LGBT community: results from a national survey.BMC public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDue to the restrictions and stigmatization of homosexuality in China, there has emerged the "Tongqi," or the wives of men who have sex with men (MSM). There are around 14 million Tongqi wives whose needs for support are often overshadowed. This phenomenon has been largely under researched, this review is the first to address the current data on the Tongqi. The aim of this systematic review is to begin to provide insight into the pre-existing data and the further support that is needed for the wives of MSM.
methodsThe researchers searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CNKI, Sinomed and WangFang databases from their inception date until June 7, 2019. Handsearching was also completed to provide a rich data set.
resultsThe articles were summarized and analyzed for thematic clusters. From the selected article, five themes emerged, including Sexual Health Issues, Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health Status, Marriage Dissatisfaction, and Coping Strategies. These themes often intersected to provide a complex understanding of the current gaps in support provided to Tongqi.
conclusionTongqi wives remain a hidden population in Chinese mainstream society, who deserves a sensitive approach to support. The study revealed that the MSM wives suffer severe mental, physical, health, and life related harms. However, instead of situating them into the victim roles, many women take on an identity of empowerment and are working together, aiming to make social changes. In order to address the Tongqi phenomenon, it is also essential to reduce the discrimination toward homosexuality. Tongqi are a special group of Chinese women, they require further intensive research attention.
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