Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2023

Keywords

AFAB health, sexuality education, sexual health, health science sexuality curricula, sexual minority, health care experiences

Abstract

This qualitative descriptive study identified factors that impact assigned female at birth (AFAB) cisgender and non-binary sexual minority individuals’ decision to engage, or not engage, in health-seeking behaviors and receive preventative health care services. AFAB sexual minority individuals were asked to describe their health care experiences to determine modifiable factors that could improve their intention to seek care and improve their health care experiences. Purposive sampling was used to recruit AFAB sexual minority individuals between 18 and 30 years of age in the Chicago metropolitan area. Three main themes emerged from data acquired through individual interviews: (1) “ask the right questions”; main themes (2) lack of trust in health professionals; (3) the need for better sexual health education. An important finding was participants wanted to be asked about their sexual orientation, sexual behavior, and gender identity. Participants wanted to be able to share their sexual orientation and gender identity with health care professionals so they could receive appropriate care, accurate information, and feel comfortable sharing aspects about their life. Additionally, the results suggested that general and health sciences curricula should include content about diverse sexual and gender minority populations. Findings have important implications for health education and clinical practice.

Funding Source

This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Taylor & Francis.

Comments

This article was published in American Journal of Sexuality Education DOI: 10.1080/15546128.2023.2187502.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.

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