Lesbians' Disclosure of Sexual Orientation and Satisfaction With Care

Abstract

The overarching aim of this study was to explore demographic variables and their association with a woman's disclosure of sexual orientation to a health care provider (HCP). This descriptive correlation study used a convenience sample of 96 women recruited at gay and lesbian community events held in Delaware. A self-report survey of 35 questions was used to obtain the data. None of the women identified themselves as exclusively heterosexual. The results indicate that a woman's self-identified sexual orientation is significant in predicting whether she has shared her orientation with her HCP. The more a woman's self-reported orientation moves toward the heterosexual end of the preference scale, the less likely she is to share her orientation with her HCP. Culturally competent care and a nondiscriminatory atmosphere will provide this population with the trust needed to enable open rapport with their HCPs.

Sexual Identity, Identity Disclosure, and Health Care Experiences: Is There Evidence for Differential Homophobia in Primary Care Practice?

“…Although other researchers have examined differences in health care experiences among women of different sexual orientations, this study represents one of the largest community-based samples to investigate such differences (Diamant, Schuster, & Lever, 2000; Polek et al, 2008). Moreover, we have examined sexual orientation along two key dimensions, namely in terms of both private self-identification and with respect to providers’ knowledge of patients’ sexual orientation.…”

“…For instance, Hiestand, Horne, and Levitt (2007) examined the health care experiences of lesbian and bisexual women who identified as being either more “butch” or “femme.” Indeed, they found that butch women had fewer regular gynecologic examinations and reported poorer treatment in health care settings, despite being more likely to be “out” with HCPs than femme women. Others have found that queer women whose self-reported orientation was more heterosexual than exclusively homosexual, were less likely to disclose their sexual orientation to HCPs than lesbian-identified women (Polek, Hardie, & Crowley, 2008). Similarly, Meckler, Elliott, Kanouse, Beals, and Schuster (2006) found that bisexual youth were less likely to disclose to HCPs than gay- or lesbian-identified youth.…”

Vulnerability and Acceptance: Lesbian Women's Family-Making through Assisted Reproduction in Swedish Public Health Care

“…Lesbian women's experiences of health care have been explored in a number of studies, in relation to both procreation and other life circumstances (see, e.g., Buchholz, 2000;Bjorkman & Malterud, 2009;Lee, Taylor, & Raitt, 2011;McNair et al, 2008;Platzer & James, 2000;Polek, Hardie, & Crowley, 2008;Spidsberg, 2007). Generally, these studies reveal a variety of experiences, from respectful and competent caregiving to deficiencies such as lack of knowledge or overt discrimination.…”

Predictors and Consequences of Negative Patient-Provider Interactions Among a Sample of African American Sexual Minority Women

“…12 Although racial disparities remain a significant concern of bias and discrimination in health care settings few studies have examined the experiences of African American sexual minority women. [13][14][15] Among sexual minority women in general, problems within the patientprovider relationship are well documented [16][17][18] and provider bias has been associated with lowered participation in preventive health care including cancer screening activities among lesbians. 19 However, the factors associated with reduced healthcare utilization following a negative health care experience have not been widely studied.…”