![]() ![]() Moreover, SMW’s engagement in care and perceptions of health care quality are predicated on the perception of provider prejudice ( Bergeron & Senn, 2003 Dehart, 2008 Mathieson, Bailey, & Gurevish, 2002 Stevens, 1995). However, discriminatory practices within the health care context, patient perceptions of provider prejudice (e.g., heterosexism), and even internalized homophobia (i.e., the devaluing of self, conscious or not, based on one’s sexual orientation) likely serve as barriers to regular health care receipt and reinforce negative attitudes toward the health care system ( Hutchinson, Thompson, & Cederbaum, 2006 Stevens, 1995 Williamson, 2000). Health care providers (HCPs) have a unique opportunity to effect change among these patient populations. For example, sexual minority women (SMW) may be at elevated risk for overweight and cardiovascular disease and may be more likely to engage in deleterious behaviors, such as smoking and heavy drinking, that contribute to morbidity ( Cochran, 2001 Drabble & Trocki, 2005 Gruskin & Gorden, 2006). Women in the sexual minority, including women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or who have another “queer” status (e.g., those who identify as pansexual, same-gender-loving, etc.) have been found to have poorer health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |