A survey of attitudes toward homosexuality in Hong Kong Chinese medical students

Background: Homosexuality is now considered an alternative lifestyle occurring with some regularity as a variant of human sexuality, rather than a pathological disorder It is important to understand the attitudes of medical professionals toward homosexuality, as their attitudes may influence their approach to gay men and lesbians as patients. It is also important to understand the current attitudes of medical students who will be the future generation of health care providers. Purpose: To study Chinese medical students' attitudes toward and personal experiences with homosexuality. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a university medical school. Medical students were asked 16 questions according to an anonymous survey questionnaire. Results: Of the 780 medical students (42% male, 49% female, 10% sex anonymous) who received the questionnaire, 627 (80%) returned it. Of these students, 72% were age 18 to 22 years; 38% reported that they had homosexual friends. Only 16 students described themselves as homosexuals and 20 as bisexuals. A total of 249 students (40%) reported that they had a religion; 542 (86%) reported that they would accept their friends to be homosexuals. Two thirds thought that homosexual and heterosexual partners should have equal legal rights in terms of marriage, whereas slightly less than half (46%) thought they should have equal legal rights in adopting children. With regard to learning or working abilities, 93% thought homosexuals are not any different from heterosexuals. Two thirds thought homosexuals are not different from heterosexuals in terms of sexual behaviour such as promiscuity or loyalty. One fourth thought homosexuality is a psychological disorder that requires therapy. These findings did not differ significantly with seniority, but students with a religion held different attitudes than those without, and were more likely to believe that homosexuality is a psychological disorder odds ratio (OR) = 2.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.59.43, p < .001. Female students were more likely to have homosexual friends, OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.20.48, p = .003, and more accepting attitudes, OR = 1. 78, 95% CI = 1.24.57, p = .002. Conclusions: The attitudes and experiences do not vary significantly between the 5 classes of medical students, but religious beliefs and gender might influence these attitudes. These findings can help medical teachers to be more sensitive in terms of educating their students.