Only a minority of gay, lesbian or bisexual teenagers tell doctors about their sexual orientation, RAND Corporation researchers said Thursday. United Press International reports that according to a recent study, even though 70 percent of the individuals were aware of their orientation as teens, just 35 percent told their doctors.
"We were surprised by these results," said Garth Meckler, assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics with the Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, reports UPI. "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 percent had told their doctor about their sexual orientation."
UPI reports that 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 at Los Angeles, suggested, "This is 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.î
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the Society for Adolescent Medicine all recommend that physicians discuss sexuality with all adolescents and provide nonjudgmental communication about sexual orientation. The study by RAND -- a nonprofit research organization -- and UCLA is published in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
The survey of 131 lesbian, gay and bisexual teenagers participating in a Models of Pride Youth Conference found that 35 percent of respondents said their doctors were aware of their sexual preference, a great deal less than the 70 percent who said most people know of their orientation.
"We knew that the sample that we chose was going to be a very 'out' sample," said Meckler, reports Playfuls.com, an science and technology Website. "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 percent had told their doctor about their sexual orientation."
According to UPI, 90 percent of the teens had been to see a doctor in the past two years. Despite the fact that 66 percent thought it was very or somewhat important that their doctor know their sexual orientation in order to provide the best health care possible, only 35 percent said their physician knew their sexual orientation.
