title: Correlates of attitudes toward homosexuality and intention to care for homosexual people among psychiatric nurses in southern Taiwan.
abstract: This study examined the association between attitudes toward homosexual individuals and intention to provide care and demographic and occupational factors, sexual orientation, knowledge about homosexuality, and experiences of contact with homosexual people among psychiatric nurses in southern Taiwan. In total, 133 psychiatric nurses from a medical center, three regional teaching hospitals, and one psychiatric hospital in southern Taiwan were recruited into this study. Their attitudes toward homosexual people as recorded on the Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Questionnaire, intention to provide care to homosexual individuals, and related factors were examined. The results revealed that psychiatric nurses who had a bachelor's or master's degree, higher level of knowledge about homosexuality, and friends or relatives with a homosexual orientation had a more positive attitude toward homosexuality. These psychiatric nurses, with more positive attitudes, and who worked in the medical center or regional teaching hospitals had a higher intention to care for homosexual people. The factors related to attitudes toward homosexuality and intention to care for homosexual people identified in this study should be taken into consideration when intervening in psychiatric nurses' attitudes toward homosexuality and intention to care for homosexual people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Ying
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Shung-Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Nai-Ying
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Hsiu-Chin
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shu-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wen-Chiung
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hsing-Hu
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shiu-Fen
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Shieh
authors.forename: Li-Yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Cheng-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing