The attitudes of nursing students toward gay and lesbian ındividuals in Turkey: stigmatization

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to investigate the attitudes of Turkish nursing students toward LGBT individuals and the influencing factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Three hundred and forty-eight nursing students from a public university in Turkey participated in this study. The data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) Scale, Empathic Tendency Scale, and Stigmatization Scale. The study data were evaluated with independent T-test and one-way ANOVA using the SPSS Statistics 22 pack. Results: The results showed that the participating nursing students have negative attitudes toward LGBT individuals, with a significant correlation between their attitudes towards LGBT people and stigmatization tendencies (p<0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that 14.3% (R2=0.143) of attitudes of the students toward such individuals can be attributed to emphatic and stigmatization tendencies. Conclusion: Since there is a gap in the literature regarding the issue, in Turkey, this study is important in that itinvestigates the factors that influence the attitudes of nursing students in particular toward lesbians and gay men