Attitudes of female and male nursing students towards homosexuality
A quantitative descriptive research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14528/snr.2022.56.2.3094Keywords:
attitude, nursing education, homosexuality, cultural competence, nursingAbstract
Introduction: Prejudice and discrimination against sexual minorities remain a widespread problem despite social changes. Homosexual individuals are exposed to strong negativism and violence, which has a detrimental effect on the psychological, physical and social health and well-being of individuals and the community. The purpose of the study was to research the attitudes of female and male nursing students towards homosexuality.
Methods: A non-experimental quantitative descriptive research method was used. The research was conducted in December 2020 with a survey technique. The convenience sample included 114 undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. Data were collected through the online Slovenian version of the questionnaire
"Index of Attitudes towards Homosexuals". The internal consistency of the questionnaire was 0.94.
Results: Half (56.1%) of the respondents know that an individual's gender identity characterizes their culture and is, therefore, a component of cultural competencies. 74.6% of them believe that they did not gain enough knowledge about this topic during their studies. The majority (86.8%) of students know someone who is gay. There are statistically significant differences in attitudes towards homosexuality among students, based on demographic and other data (p < 0.05). The most positive attitude towards homosexuality was shown by atheists, women, students aged 21 to 30 and second-year undergraduate students.
Discussion and conclusion: Nursing students have a positive attitude towards homosexuality. It is necessary to include knowledge of cultural competencies in the study course.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Albuquerque, G. A., Garcia, C. L., Quirino, G. S., Alves, M. J. H., Belem, J. M., Figueiredo, F. W. S. … Adami, F. (2016). Access to health services by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons: systematic literature review. BMC International Health and Human Rights, 16(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-015-0072-9
Ayoub, P. M., & Garretson, J. (2017). 'Getting the message out: Media context and global changes in attitudes toward homosexuality'. Comparative Political Studies, 50(8), 1055–1085. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414016666836
Bibič, Š., Lemaić, V., Oblak, T., Pirih, T. & Topolovec, M. (2011). LGBTQ slovar: slovar lezbičnih, gejevskih, biseksualnih, transspolnih, transseksualnih in queer besed. Ljubljana: Kulturni center Q (klub Tiffany), Društvo ŠKUC.
Bogataj, K. (2020). Pripovedi razkritja in življenja po razkritju (magistrska naloga). Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za socialno delo, Ljubljana.
Carabez, R., Pellegrini, M., Mankovitz, A., Eliason, M. J., & Dariotis, W. M. (2015). Nursing students' perceptions of their knowledge of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues: Effectiveness of a multi-purpose assignment in a public health nursing class. The Journal of Nursing Education, 54(1), 50–53. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20141228-03
Chapman, R., Watkins, R., Zappia, T., Nicol, P., & Shields, L. (2012). Nursing and medical students' attitude, knowledge and beliefs regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents seeking health care for their children. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21(7), 938–945. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03892.x
Cornelius, J., & Carrick, J. (2015). A survey of nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes toward LGBT health care concerns. Nursing Education Perspectives, 36(3), 176–178. https://doi.org/10.5480/13-1223
Dastan, N. B. (2013). The attitudes of nursing students towards lesbians and gay males in Turkey. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 21(4), 376–382. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12294
Dunjić-Kostić, B., Pantović, M., Vuković, V., Randjelović, D., Totić-Poznanović, S., Damjanović, A. … Ivković, M. (2012). Knowledge: A possible tool in shaping medical professionals' attitudes towards homosexuality. Psychiatria Danubina, 24(2), 143–151. Retrieved March 1, 2021 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22706412/
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications. Gonenc, I. M., & Erenel, A. S. (2018). Determining homophobic attitudes of nursing students in Turkey and the factors affecting them. Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences, 9, 21–28. https://doi.org/10.33808/clinexphealthsci.474857
Grabovac, I., Abramović, M., Komlenović, G., Milosević, M., & Mustajbegović, J. (2014). Attitudes towards and knowledge about homosexuality among medical students in Zagreb. Collegium Antropologicum, 38(1), 39–45. Retrieved March 1, 2021 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24851595/
Hafeez, H., Zeshan, M., Tahir, M. A., Jahan, N., & Naveed, S. (2017). Health care disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth: A literature review. Cureus, 9(4), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1184
Hudson, W. W., & Ricketts, W. A. (1980). A Strategy for the Measurement of Homophobia. Journal of Homosexuality, 5(4), 357–372. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v05n04_02
Juršič, N. (2015). Odnos slovenske družbe do homoseksualnosti (diplomsko delo). Fakulteta za uporabne družbene študije, Nova Gorica.
Kljajić, A. (2018). Odnos zdravstvenih delavcev do homoseksualnosti (diplomsko delo). Univerza na Primorskem, Fakulteta za vede o zdravju, Izola.
Kodeks etike v zdravstveni negi in oskrbi Slovenije in Kodeks etike za babice Slovenije. (2014). Ljubljana: Zbornica zdravstvene in babiške nege Slovenije – Zveza strokovnih društev medicinskih sester, babic in zdravstvenih tehnikov Slovenije.
Lim, F. A., & Hsu, R. (2016). Nursing students' attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons: An integrative review. Nursing Education Perspective, 37(3), 144–152. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000004
Lopes, L., Gato, J., & Esteves, M. (2016). Portuguese medical students' knowledge and attitudes towards homosexuality. Acta Médica Portuguesa, 29(11), 684–693. https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.8009
Meško, T. (2012). Stališče Rimskokatoliške cerkve in njenih vernikov do homoseksualnosti (diplomsko delo). Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za družbene vede, Ljubljana.
Mitchell, K. M., Lee, L., Green, A., & Skyes, J. (2016). the gaps in health care of the LGBT community: Perspectives of nursing students and faculty. Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research, 5(5), 21–30. Retrieved March 1, 2021 from https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/papersandpubs/vol5/iss1/5/
Ng, C., Yee, A., Subramaniam, P., Loh, H. S., & Moreira, P. (2015). Attitudes toward homosexuality among nursing students in a Public University in Malaysia: The religious factor. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 12(3), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-015-0182-0
Osmanaga, F. (2015). Student's attitudes toward homosexuality. European Scientific Journal, 11(23), 171–183. Retrieved from March 2, 2021 from https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/607
Patrick, K., Heywood, W., Simpson, J. M., Pitts, M. K., Richters, J., Shelley, J. M., & Smith, A. M. (2013). Demographic predictors of consistency and change in heterosexuals' attitudes toward homosexual behavior over a two-year period'. The Journal of Sex Research, 50(6), 611–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2012.657263
Piumatti, G. (2017). A Mediational Model explaining the connection between religiosity and anti-homosexual attitudes in Italy: The effects of male role endorsement and homosexual stereotyping. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(14), 1961–1977. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2017.1289005
Pogačnik, A. (2018). Slovar slovenskega knjižnega jezika 2017. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU.
Prosen, M. (2018). Developing cross-cultural competences: Opportunity for ensuring health and healthcare equality and equity. Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 52(2), 76–80. https://doi.org/10.14528/snr.2018.52.2.262
Roggemans, L., Spruyt, B., Van Droogenbroeck, F., & Keppens, G. (2015). 'Religion and negative attitudes towards homosexuals: An analysis of urban young people and their attitudes towards homosexuality'. YOUNG, 23(3), 254–276. https://doi.org/10.1177/1103308815586903
Rowe, D., Ng, Y. C., O'Keefe, L., & Crawford, D. (2017). Providers' attitudes and knowledge of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health. Federal Practitioner, 34(11), 28-34. Retrieved March 2, 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6370394/
Rowniak, S. R. (2015). Factors related to homophobia among nursing students. Journal of Homosexuality, 62(9), 1228–1240. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2015.1037135
Srivastava, S., & Singh, P. (2015). Psychosocial roots of stigma of homosexuality and its impact on the lives of sexual minorities in India. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 3, 128–136. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.38015
Strong K. L., & Folse, V. N. (2014). Assessing undergraduate nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and cultural competence in caring for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients. Journal of Nursing Education, 54(1), 45–49. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20141224-07
Šavli, D., & Ličen, S. (2019). Perspektiva študentov zdravstvene nege do istospolno usmerjenih: opisna raziskava. Obzornik zdravstvene nege, 53(4), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.14528/snr.2019.53.4.2976
Štuhec, J. I. (2015). Fenomen homoseksualnosti in moralni kriteriji za njegovo družbeno umestitev. Bogoslovni vestnik, 75(3), 495–504. Retrieved May 24, 2021 from http://www.teof.uni-lj.si/uploads/File/BV/BV_2015_03/08_Ivan%20Janez%20%C5%A0tuhec%20-%20Fenomen%20homoseksualnosti.pdf
Turner, M. (2013). Vloga vrstniške skupine pri krepitvi in ohranjanju adolescentove homofobije (diplomsko delo). Univerza v Ljubljani, Filozofska fakulteta, Ljubljana.
World Medical Association. (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Journal of the American Medical Association, 310(20), 2191–2194. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053 PMid:24141714
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Slovenian Nursing Review
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
As the author undersigned hereby, I transfer, assign, or otherwise convey the following authorship rights as comprised in the Copyright and Related Rights Act (CRRA) to the Slovenian Nursing Review, Ob železnici 30A, 1000 Ljubljana: the right of reproduction - the exclusive right to fix the work in a material medium or in another copy directly or indirectly, temporarily or permanently, by any means and in any digital form, in whole or in part (CRRA, Article 23); the right of distribution (CRRA, Article 24); the right of making a work available and accessible through the internet (CRRA, Article 32a); the right of transformation, especially the exclusive right to translate a pre-existing work (CRRA, Article 33). The transfer of author rights applies to the article in its entirety, including pictorial and/or graphic works and possible supplements. The transfer of rights is exclusive and unlimited in duration or territory.
