Doctors ' attitudes to male homosexuality : a survey

The topic of homosexuality has often aroused strong opinions among the public and professionals alike. In a study organised by the journal Modern Medicine in 1969,17,741 physicians in the USA responded to a questionnaire. Of those who stated their speciality, 8% were psychiatrists, 26% general practitioners and 10% general surgeons. Questions sought opinions on abortion, legalisation of marijuana, legalisation of homosexual practice and other topics; 92% of psychiatrists [n2,041] were in favour of legal ising homosexual practices. The three specialities least in favour were general practitioners 59% [n 6,927], general surgeons 59% [n 2,580] and ortho paedic surgeons 58% [n 731]. The sample was selfselected and this may have introduced a respondent bias. The data were collected nearly 20 years ago when homosexuality was still seen as a psychiatric illness in the American Psychiatric Association's

of Consulting to Institutions. Tavistock Clinic Paper No. 70.
Psychiatric Bulletin (1989), 13,426-428 Doctors' attitudes to male homosexuality: a survey DINESHBHUGRA, Senior Registrar, Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 The topic of homosexuality has often aroused strong opinions among the public and professionals alike.In a study organised by the journal Modern Medicine in 1969,17,741 physicians in the USA responded to a questionnaire.Of those who stated their speciality, 8% were psychiatrists, 26% general practitioners and 10% general surgeons.Questions sought opinions on abortion, legalisation of marijuana, legalisation of homosexual practice and other topics; 92% of psychiatrists [n 2,041] were in favour of legal ising homosexual practices.The three specialities least in favour were general practitioners 59% [n 6,927], general surgeons 59% [n 2,580] and ortho paedic surgeons 58% [n 731].The sample was selfselected and this may have introduced a respondent bias.The data were collected nearly 20 years ago when homosexuality was still seen as a psychiatric illness in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals I and II.
A study in the UK in 1973 by Morris used a postal questionnaire to enquire into the attitudes of 150 general practitioners and 150psychiatrists selected at random.Psychiatrists were more likely to see homo sexuality as inborn with development in infancy; 4% of general practitioners and 8% of psychiatrists saw homosexuality as a disease.In 1974 Barr & Catts in Australia found that 35% of psychiatrists in their sample saw homosexuality as a neurotic illness, com pared to 19% of psychiatric trainees.Attitudes of doctors to homosexuality may be expected to vary according to age, sex, cultural background, training, specialty, religion, etc. Psychiatry is affected by the cultural milieu within which it is embedded, reflect ing the dominant values of the time and place and perhaps tending to challenge social values and practices.
Several studies have demonstrated that homosex uals fear to disclose their sexuality to their doctors (Maurer, 1975;Morton & McManus, 1986),and that they also tend to feel that the medical profession is less geared towards their needs than to those of het erosexuals (Dardick & Grady, 1980).Yet problems experienced by male homosexuals are determined in part by public attitudes and doctors are in some respects able to lead public opinion.Therefore it is of interest to inquire into doctors' attitudes towards homosexuality.

The study
The present study set out to investigate the attitudes of psychiatrists and general practitioners, the two groups most likely to be approached by homosexuals for medical help in issues concerning their sexuality.The study focused on male homosexuality because male homosexuals attract more attention and appear to arouse stronger feelings than female homosexuals.
A questionnaire was designed specifically for the study, though several items had been previously used by other authors.Respondents were asked to quan tify their agreement or disagreement with a series of statements on a 5-point scale.The questionnaire was circulated with an explanatory letter and a Freepost envelope for replies to all the psychiatrists and the inceptors in the Midlands division of the Royal College of Psychiatrists [n 510] whose addresses had been obtained through the College.Questionnaires were sent to an equivalent number of general practitioners [GPs] from the same geographical area, randomly selected from Family Practitioner Committee lists.The 'strongly agree' and 'agree' responses were summated as were 'strongly disagree'

Findings
The response rates for usable questionnaires for psy chiatrists and GPs were 45% and 39% respectively.
Table I shows the summarised responses of the two groups (using chi-square analyses).

Comment
Certain difficulties in interpreting these results must be acknowledged.The samples are not fully rep resentative of psychiatrists and GPs; the response rates, usually poor with postal questionnaires, are even lower than expected, perhaps because of the sensitivity of the subject.Some extreme responses have been diluted in order to facilitate statistical analysis.The attributional factors for these attitudes have been ignored.
A better response could perhaps have been obtained by sending reminders.But it was necessary to preserve anonymity, and a more elaborate design was proscribed by financial constraints.Psychiatrists' higher response rate may be a reflection of their feeling more comfortable than GPs with homosex uals, as strikingly shown in the investigation.Overall the GPs were less accepting and showed more stereo typed attitudes.Psychiatrists were less likely to see homosexuality as an illness but this particular state ment had the largest number of missing responses, namely 16% for psychiatrists and 20% for GPs.
It might well be predicted that those psychiatrists and GPs who chose to respond to the questionnaire would be those with strong opinions one way or the other but the numbers of missing responses and no opinion suggest a dissonance in their acts and actual responses.
GPs were much more likely to see male homosex uals as a danger to children, hence their strong response to the question of homosexuals' employ ment in schools.It is likely that psychiatrists are better able to differentiate between paedophilia and homosexuality.Commonly held stereotypes elicited by Dressier (1979) included homosexuals being a danger to children and also being generally neurotic.Psychiatrists by virtue of their training may be inter preting the word neurotic in a specific rather than a pejorative sense.The present sample has only 19% of psychiatrists regarding homosexuals as neurotic compared to 35% of Barr& Calls' sample.However, ine present sample makes no distinction between trainees and trained psychiatrists.Also the cross-cul tural comparisons may not be entirely valid.Sub sequent studies need to avoid Ine use of vague or ambiguous lerms.
GPs saw homosexuals as effeminate -another of Dressler's stereotypes.There is no clinical evidence to suggest that such is the case.It would have been useful to have included a question about the degree of contact the individual doctor had had with a homosexual.Both groups agreed overwhelmingly with the statement that the subject had not been ade quately covered in their medical school curriculum.
The present study shows some of the attitudes prevalent among the medical profession before the Human Immunodeficiency Virus [HIV] became recognised in the UK.A study is currently under way to investigate the attitudes since the AIDS epidemic became established.The questionnaire needs to be validated with interviews for subsequent use.The at titudes in the present survey may provide a baseline which can be checked regularly in association with attributional factors for these beliefs.
British Journal of Psychiatry, 122,435-436. MORTON,A. D. & McMANUS, I. C. (1986)  to the subject and its practice will complement the multidisciplinary and growing community orien tation of the profession.We describe here our first attempts to provide an academic programme that responds sympathetically to these important developments.

Background
The first membership examination was held in 1972.
It was closely modelled on the pattern of the dip lomas in psychological medicine and remained so for almost a decade.In 1981, however, voices within