FRIDAY, July 28, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals react more positively to men who reveal they're gay than to women who disclose they're lesbians, concludes a New Zealand study in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
The Massey University survey of 2,269 gay, lesbian and bisexual people also found that those over age 40 were more likely to report positive experiences when they revealed their sexuality to their primary health care providers.
"It's important that health care providers are aware of people's sexuality as non-disclosure has been shown to have a negative impact on their health," researcher Dr. Stephen Neville said in a prepared statement.
"For example, people who are lesbian, gay and bisexual are more likely to face an increased risk of suicide, depression and other mental health problems," Neville said.
Among the study's findings:
"Previous studies have shown that people are more likely to seek health care and adhere to treatment regimes if they know that health care providers will be comfortable with their sexuality and not automatically assume they are heterosexual," Neville said.
More information
The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association has more about gay and lesbian health issues.