Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Nursing, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  • 2 Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  • 3 Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
  • 4 Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
LGBT Health, 2023;10(2):169-175.
PMID: 36251945 DOI: 10.1089/lgbt.2021.0452

Abstract

Purpose: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) experience high levels of stigma and discrimination. Minimizing the stigma and discrimination is critical to fostering an inclusive environment for care and optimizing health outcomes. This study aimed at exploring the factors related to physicians' intention to discriminate against MSM in Malaysia. Methods: Physicians (N = 542) from two university-affiliated hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, completed an online cross-sectional survey between January and March 2016. Measures included sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, intention to discriminate against MSM, and several stigma-related constructs. Bivariate and multivariable linear regressions were used to evaluate independent correlates of discrimination intent against MSM. Results: Physicians' intention to discriminate against MSM was low (mean [M] = 1.9, standard deviation [SD] = 0.7), but most physicians (70.6%) had a mean score greater than 1.0, indicating that most physicians expressed some degree of intention to discriminate against MSM. A minority of physicians (10.7%), however, had a score of 3.0 or higher, revealing some physicians holding a moderate to high level of discrimination intent toward MSM. The multivariable model demonstrated that physicians who expressed greater prejudice (B = 0.30, p 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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