Sexual identity and confidence in medicine: an analysis of national survey data

Abstract

The institution of medicine has at times been associated with the pathologisation of sexual minority individuals. Studies also show that sexual minority individuals sometimes encounter discrimination or hostility when interacting with medical professionals. The current study asks whether this results in a systematic lack of confidence in medicine among sexual minority groups, which could have consequences for these groups’ utilisation of health care. Using nationally representative data from the US General Social Survey, the current study investigates whether gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals have less confidence in medicine as compared to their heterosexual counterparts. The analyses indicate there is no overall gap between heterosexual and gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals’ confidence in medicine. However, age moderates this finding. Specifically, older gay and lesbian individuals express significantly less confidence in medicine as compared to older heterosexual individuals. Limitations and future directions are presented.