News
2006-12-30
Study: Most gay
teens don't reveal their sexuality to doctors
Only about one
third of gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens involved in a
recent study said they tell their doctors about thei
Only about one
third of gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens involved in a
recent study said they tell their doctors about their sexual
orientation. The survey, released by the RAND
Corporation on Thursday, revealed that even though 70%
of those who took part said they were aware of their
sexual orientation as teens, just 35% told their doctors.
"We were
surprised by these results," Garth Meckler, assistant
professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics with the
Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, told
United Press International. "We figured they would
have a higher disclosure rate than most youth, and
yet, despite being out to almost everyone in their lives,
only 35% had told their doctor about their sexual
orientation."
Mark Schuster,
director of health promotion and disease prevention at
RAND Health in Santa Monica, Calif., and professor of
pediatrics and public health at the University of
California, Los Angeles, said the survey should serve
as "a reminder to physicians who take care of teens to
try to create a comfortable, safe environment for young
people to be open about their orientation as well as
other aspects of their sexuality."
The study by
RAND—a nonprofit research organization—and
UCLA is published in the December issue of the
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine. Researchers surveyed 131 participants at the
Models of Pride Youth Conference. (The
Advocate)
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