Stigma, Health Beliefs and Experiences with Health Care in Lesbian Women

Twenty‐jive Midwestern self‐identified lesbian women were recruited through a snowball design to participate in a semistructured interview. Data were analyzed qualitatively for themes and consensus. Stigma and identifiability in lesbian women are complex issues that affect their cultural and social experience, health beliefs, interaction with health care providers and use of health care systems. The results suggest that lesbian women often do not feel comfortable seeking health care, experience nonempathetic responses when they do and even feel at risk of harm in some health care situations. Nurses are challenged to evaluate the adequacy of knowledge and reassess the quality of health care offered to lesbians.