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The Role of Healthcare Stereotype Threat and Social Identity Threat in LGB Health Disparities
Author(s) -
Fingerhut Adam W.,
Abdou Cleopatra M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/josi.12228
Subject(s) - health care , lesbian , health equity , psychology , stereotype (uml) , identity (music) , sexual identity , stereotype threat , psychological intervention , sexual minority , social psychology , perspective (graphical) , social identity theory , sexual orientation , political science , sociology , gender studies , human sexuality , social group , psychiatry , physics , artificial intelligence , acoustics , psychoanalysis , computer science , law
Health disparities exist between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals and heterosexuals and can be explained by differential access to healthcare, unique experiences with discrimination, and higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS. This article will examine another possible explanation, namely healthcare stereotype threat and social identity threat in the healthcare experiences of sexual minority individuals. In doing so, this article integrates previous research on stereotypes and discrimination with regard to LGB individuals as well as research concerning LGB individuals’ experiences with healthcare providers. The article concludes with a discussion about future research and potential interventions to ameliorate identity threats for LGB individuals in healthcare contexts. From a social justice perspective, identity threats serve as an important contextual variable feeding health disparities among sexual minorities. If better understood, such threats and resultant disparities may be reduced via cost‐effective changes in environmental cues and educational strategies.