ORCID

0000-0002-0863-8450 (Dawson), 0000-0002-7037-1232 (Moulder), 0000-0002-7452-876X (Heron)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

DOI

10.3390/ijerph22060965

Publication Title

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Volume

22

Issue

6

Pages

965 (1-14)

Abstract

Cisgender sexual minority women (SMW, e.g., lesbian, queer) are at greater risk for poor mental and physical health compared to heterosexual women and face challenges when accessing health care. Previous research has largely focused on general sexual and gender minority barriers to health care, but more research is needed on the experiences of specific subgroups, including cisgender SMW. The current study qualitatively explored barriers and facilitators for cisgender SMW seeking health care. Twenty cisgender SMW aged 18-40 recruited using Meta advertisements and past participant lists completed 45 min semi-structured interviews and a brief survey. Thematic analysis conducted by two coders revealed a barrier theme with six subthemes, and a facilitator theme with seven subthemes. The barrier subthemes included discrimination, dominant culture centric, unsupportive socio-political environment, lack of patient-centered care, avoidance/concealment of sexual identity, and socio-economic challenges. The facilitator subthemes included supportive socio-political environment, advance identification of LGBTQ-affirming HCPs, patient-centered care, HCP identity similar to patient, social support, re-engagement with care after bad experiences, and socio-economic advantages. This study provides insight into the lived experiences of cisgender SMW that can help improve knowledge about health care disparities and inform health care interventions for this population.

Rights

© 2025 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Data Availability

Article states: "The datasets presented in this article are not readily available due to protection of participant privacy."

Original Publication Citation

Dawson, C. A., Moulder, A., & Heron, K. E. (2025). Barriers and facilitators to accessing mental and physical health care among sexual minority women: A qualitative exploration. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(6), 1-14, Article 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060965

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