Heteronormativity in a Nursing Context : Attitudes toward Homosexuality and Experiences of Lesbians and Gay Men

Abstract

The general aim of the project was to describe the situation of lesbians and gay men in a nursing environment by studying the attitudes of nursing staff and students, and the experiences of gay nursing staff in their work environment and of gay patients and partners in their encounters with nursing. The study for papers I and II had a descriptive, comparative design. Nurses, assistant nurses, and nursing students completed the Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Scale (ATHS), the Causes of Homosexuality Questionnaire (CHQ), and the Affect Adjective Checklist (AAC), along with the Nursing Behaviour Questionnaire (NBQ). In general, the participating nursing staff and students expressed positive attitudes, though some subjects reported very negative attitudes toward gay people. The participants also expressed a full spectrum of emotions from delight to anger. The studies for papers III and IV had a descriptive, explorative design. Here, the data collection was performed by semi-structured interviews. The informants were gay nursing staff, gay patients and partners of patients. The gay personnel reported fear and concern about heterosexuals' reactions when these informants 'come out', and were constantly assesing the risk being open about their sexual orientation among their workmates. Nearly all patients and partners described several situations where heteronormative assumptions were communicated by the nursing staff. Almost all informants offered recommendations for nursing staff to facilitate communication. According to the presented findings, probably only a small minority in Swedish nursing have negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. However, the informants told of heteronormative language and behaviour in nursing contexts that were percieved as insensitive, insulting and humaliating. Nursing staff need to learn how to communicate in a more natural way and to be aware of the norms they communicate through the language and behaviour they use