A new study finds that sexual and gender minority adults are significantly more likely to avoid healthcare due to identity mismatches with clinicians, with discrimination playing a key role. In a recent study published in The Annals of Family Medicine , researchers investigated the factors contributing to healthcare avoidance among sexual and gender minority (SGM) adults, focusing on patient-clinician identity discordance (PCID). Their findings indicate that SGM adults are more likely to avoid healthcare services due to identity mismatches with clinicians compared to non-SGM adults, and this avoidance is strongly linked to experiences of healthcare discrimination, emphasizing the need for a more inclusive health system.
Background Adults from SGM groups tend to have poorer health outcomes compared to non-SGM individuals, partly due to avoiding essential health care services. This is often linked to discrimination and stressors linked to their belonging to minority and marginalized groups. Previous research has shown that patients whose identities do not match their clinicians' are less likely to receive necessary care and report poorer experiences.
While this has been studied in racial identity contexts, little is known about how identity discordance affects SGM patients. About the study In this study, researchers aimed to assess how often SGM adults avoid care due to identity mismatches with clinicians and whether healthcare discrimination plays a role in this avoidance. Res.