Self-reported inappropriate, disrespectful, or coercive health care (IDCH) experiences were more prevalent among minoritized SOGI students than heterosexual cisgender students, including receiving inappropriate/harmful treatment and dismissive or biased provider communication.
This is according to a study – “Sexual and Gender Identity-Associated Disparities in University Students’ Experiences with Inappropriate, Disrespectful, and Coercive Health Care” by Alison R. Walsh, Devon E. Spiars, Emily Dove-Medows, et al – that appeared in LGBT Health.
For this study, the researchers used data from the cross-sectional IDC Survey (2021), quantifying the lifetime prevalence of 18 IDCH items in a sample of 3,403 university students. Chi-squared and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to assess bivariate associations between IDCH items and SOGI. They then modeled associations between demographic characteristics and two types of provider–sexual misconduct using logistic regression.
Some of the key findings included:
- Statistically significant associations between SOGI and 17 of the analyzed IDCH items were identified.
- Gender minority and sexual minority cisgender male and female students had significantly higher odds of ever being touched inappropriately during an exam, compared with heterosexual cisgender males.
- SOGI was not significantly associated with experiencing a provider’s sexual advances.
University students with historically minoritized SOGIs may be particularly vulnerable to IDCH experiences, the researchers emphasized. They, therefore, recommended that research be done “to understand differential experiences within minoritized sexual and gender subpopulations.”
Also, “patient and provider education about healthcare norms and trauma-centered care could potentially reduce IDCH and its harms.”
