Objective: To compare perceived discrimination in healthcare across men, women and LBGTQ+ people with parkinsonism

Background: Stigma, often experienced by people with parkinsonism and care partners, negatively impacts quality of life [1]. Older LGBTQ+ people are at risk for discrimination while obtaining healthcare(2). Creating a safe environment and cultivating trust in the doctor-patient enhances health and life satisfaction [2]. However, very little is known about the perception of healthcare among sexual and gender minority groups with parkinsonism [3,4].

Method: Data were obtained from the Fox Insight database on March 7th, 2022. People reporting current diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease or parkinsonism by a healthcare professional, who filled “Assessing Discrimination in Healthcare” questionnaire were included (n=4948). People responding with “not sure”, “prefer not to answer” to sex, gender identity and sexual orientation questions were excluded. Responses were compared across straight men (“male” sex, “male” gender identity, “heterosexual or straight” sexual orientation n=2377), straight women (“female” sex, “female” gender identity, “heterosexual or straight” sexual orientation n=2254) and LBGTQ+ participants (gender identity other than “male”,“female”, sexual orientation other than “heterosexual or straight”, n=202).

Results: Mean age was 68.5 (8.8). Groups differed in the proportion of individuals reporting discrimination in terms of respect, courtesy, feeling heard by their provider, receiving the same level of care as others, and condescending attitudes from healthcare professionals [table1]. Among the participants who endorsed discrimination, 25% straight women and 32.6% LGBTQ+ individuals reported their gender played a role in how they were treated compared to 4.6% straight men (p<.001). Compared to 1.1% straight men and 2.4% straight women, 25% LGBTQ+ group reported their sexual orientation influenced how they were treated (p<.001).

Conclusion: The majority of participants did not endorse healthcare discrimination; however straight women and LGBTQ+ people were more likely to perceive discrimination than straight men. Gender and sexual orientation played a bigger role for the perceived discrimination for LGBTQ+ people. Raising awareness about discrimination people can experience at a healthcare setting can improve the approach of healthcare professionals and improve the well-being of people with parkinsonism.

References: 1. Maffoni M, Giardini A, Pierobon A, Ferrazzoli D, Frazzitta G. Stigma Experienced by Parkinson’s Disease Patients: A Descriptive Review of Qualitative Studies. Parkinsons Dis. 2017;2017.
2. Ye M, Kahana B, Kahana E, Xu S. Trust in The Doctor-Patient Relationship Enhances Well-Being and Life Satisfaction Among Older LGBTQ People. Innov Aging. 2018 Nov 1;2(suppl_1):123–123.
3. Roy Lin CY, Rosendale N, Deeb W. Expanding sexual and gender minority research in movement disorders: More than awareness and acceptance. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2021 Jun 1;87:162–5.
4. Subramanian I, Mathur S, Oosterbaan A, Flanagan R, Keener AM, Moro E. Unmet Needs of Women Living with Parkinson’s Disease: Gaps and Controversies. Mov Disord. 2022.

Acknowledgements: Data used in the preparation of this abstract were obtained from the Fox Insight database (https://foxinsight-info.michaeljfox.org/insight/explore/insight.jsp) on 07/03/2022. For up-to-date information on the study, visit https://foxinsight-info.michaeljfox.org/insight/explore/insight.jsp.
The Fox Insight Study (FI) is funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. We would like to thank the Parkinson’s community for participating in this study to make this research possible.

« Back to 2022 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/discrimination-in-healthcare-for-parkinsonism-across-sexual-and-gender-minority-groups/