Health professionals’ attitudes towards lesbian and gay individuals, and levels of homophobia and empathy: a case of Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the attitudes, homophobia, and empathy levels of healthcare professionals toward Lesbian and Gay individuals. This descriptive and cross-sectional study’s population consisted of healthcare workers working in hospitals in Turkey between April 2022 and August 2022. Using snowball method, 678 healthcare professionals who consented to participate in the study were recruited for the study. The data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers, the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gays Scale (ATLGS), the Hudson and Ricketts Homophobia Scale (HRHS), and the Toronto Empathy Scale (TES).79.4% of the participants reported that caring for Lesbian and Gay (LG) individuals is no different from caring for heterosexual individuals. Low homophobia levels, work experience, and the existence of gay friends were identified as factors significantly influencing healthcare professionals’ positive attitudes toward LG. Healthcare professionals have partially positive attitudes about LG individuals and partially homophobic attitudes, and their empathetic abilities influence their attitudes toward them.