ADOLESCENT HEALTH-CARE EXPERIENCE OF GAY, LESBIAN, AND BISEXUAL YOUNG-ADULTS

Methods: Subjects were 102 self-identified gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth aged 18-23 years. A confidential self-administered survey elicit ed demographic information, sexual orientation information, health car e experiences, subjects' understanding of medical confidentiality duri ng ages 14-18 years, and their suggestions for improving care to gay a nd lesbian adolescents. Results: Two-thirds of subjects never discusse d sexual orientation with their provider but reported a desire to do s o. Fewer than one-half of subjects remembered being informed about the ir right to medical confidentiality; those who reported being so infor med were three times more likely to have discussed their sexual orient ation with their provider. Over 70% of subjects who reported not being informed about their right to medical confidentiality stated that the y would have been more likely to discuss sexual orientation with their provider had they been so informed. Only 13 of subjects had disclosed their sexual orientation to their health care providers. Of these, on ly half of the males received information on human immunodeficiency vi rus prevention. Conclusions: Health care providers may be failing to f ully address issues of confidentiality and sexual orientation with ado lescents, despite a decade of increased information on adolescent homo sexuality. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1998.