This study explores whether queer people wait longer than non-queer people to seek professional medical care in the wake of an illness or injury. Little scholarship has evaluated queer people's pursuit of palliative medical care. An online survey was distributed to Virginia Tech students aged 18-30 years old who have experienced an illness or injury in the last year that compromised their daily function. Using demographic data obtained about gender identity and sexuality, respondents were divided into "queer" (non-cisgender and/or non-heterosexuals) and "non-queer" (cisgender, heterosexuals) groups. The survey assessed the number of days between the onset of an illness or injury and the first attempt to schedule care. The statistical analysis revealed significant differences suggesting that, of the people who had received care in the last 12 months, queer people, on average, waited fewer days than non-queer people to attempt to schedule care. This does not include respondents who indicated that they did not receive care in the last 12 months. This may indicate that queer people forego seeking palliative care unless absolutely necessary. This study is informed by M. Reynolds's Health Power Resources theory, and demonstrates the importance of measuring not only the presence of behaviors but also the absence of relevant behaviors when applying this theory. Based on the results, this study calls for further research into both delays in care-seeking behavior and into healthcare avoidance among queer individuals. / Master of Science / If two different people catch an illness and one of them identifies as transgender or gay, but the other one identifies as straight and cisgender, which one of them will wait longer to see a doctor? Waiting longer to get healthcare can be dangerous and costly, and yet many people wait to get healthcare even when they get sick or injured. Queer people (those who do not identify as cisgender and heterosexual) have themselves reported experiencing a number of barriers to receiving healthcare in the United States. This study compares how long queer and non-queer people wait to seek healthcare after an illness or injury to see if these reported barriers to accessing healthcare contribute to a greater reluctance among queer people to pursue healthcare.
This reluctance is measured as the number of days between the start of a person's medical ailment and their first attempt at scheduling or receiving professional care for said ailment. A survey was conducted of Virginia Tech students, all of whom experienced an illness or injury in the last 12 months that compromised their ability to perform daily tasks (such as attending classes or completing housework). The results indicated that, of the people who had received care in the last year, queer people, on average, waited fewer days than non-queer people to seek care. However; this dataset does not reflect the experiences of those who indicated that, despite getting sick or injured, they did not receive care in the last 12 months. This may suggest that queer people avoid getting professional help for an illness or injury unless absolutely necessary, instead waiting for injuries or illnesses to get better without professional care. Based on the results, more research is needed on both delays in care-seeking and on healthcare avoidance among queer individuals.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/119505 |
| Date | 25 June 2024 |
| Creators | Bechtold, Victoria Lauraine |
| Contributors | Sociology, Parti, Katalin, Williams, Heidi M., Gardezi, Syed Maaz Hassaan |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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