Lesbian Health Current Assessment and Directions for the Future (1999) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
4 Contextual Barriers to Conducting Research on Lesbian Health
4 Contextual Barriers to Conducting Research on Lesbian Health
Pages 135-154
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From page 135... ...
For researchers focusing on lesbian health, however, some of these pressures present particularly challenging obstacles. In this section, some of the contextual barriers to conducting research on lesbian health are reviewed, including the political context, the importance of establishing connections between researchers and the lesbian community, and the difficulties encountered by those wishing to conduct research on lesbian health.
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From page 136... ...
There are numerous other barriers, including the potential negative effects on academic careers of working with a stigmatized population, the lack of mentors for conducting research in this area, and the lack of funding. Potential Negative Career Ramifications Due to Stigmas A woman researcher's lesbian sexual orientation can have a negative impact on her work experience in two primary ways.
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From page 137... ...
Although the committee is unaware of research in this area, it is reasonable to expect that similar pressures deter researchers in nonacademic research institutes and clinical settings from pursuing research on lesbian issues. Of the lesbian researchers surveyed by Ryan and Bradford (1997)
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From page 138... ...
Students who wish to pursue research careers that focus on lesbian issues face several challenges stemming from the lack of access to mentors who conduct research with lesbians. In a recent study of the experiences that lesbian psychology students have in conducting lesbian research, students reported difficulty finding supportive mentors, research advisers, or 138
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From page 139... ...
Randomized, controlled clinical trials the gold standard in clinical intervention research do not now play a significant role in lesbian health research the exception being the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) , which includes some lesbian participants.
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From page 140... ...
.5 The majority of research on lesbian health conducted to date has come from within the lesbian community itself, most of it with little funding and very few resources. Smaller pilot projects have often been done on a shoestring budget or have been added onto other funded projects without supplemental funding to cover the additional costs associated with data collection and analyses.
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From page 141... ...
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From page 143... ...
The committee urges journal editors and reviewers to take this into account in reaching decisions about which highquality papers should be accepted for publication. 6An important development for the field of lesbian health is that the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association recently began publication of a journal that deals exclusively with lesbian and gay health issues, the Journal of the Gay and Leshian Medical Association.
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From page 144... ...
· Offer technical assistance and training to those interested in conducting research on lesbian health to enable them to deal with the complex methodological challenges involved in designing and implementing these studies, including forming and managing collaborative research teams that include active participation from members of the study population. Further, the committee urges that the availability of federal funding be increased to support additional research on lesbian health and that funding mechanisms be developed to support doctoral and postdoctoral training in lesbian health research.
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From page 145... ...
Thus, in this case, the lesbian community would include the network of resources and activities focused on the interests of lesbians .
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From page 146... ...
Commonly, lesbian researchers who conduct research on lesbian health already have deep and active ties to the lesbian community. Thus, they come with an indigenous understanding of the concerns of the community, at least for the subgroups of lesbians with which they are most closely affiliated (e.g., those involved in lesbian organizations or activities)
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From page 147... ...
· Involvement from the ground up in the development of the program. The participation of community organizations in the development of research interventions will help ensure that the research 147
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From page 148... ...
POLITICAL AND LEGISLATIVE BARRIERS no FUNDING Research on controversial or sensitive topics, such as sexual behavior, sexual orientation, or drug use, can quickly become embroiled in politics. Researchers interested in doing wide-scale studies of sexual behaviors have faced numerous political challenges to the conduct of research in this area.
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From page 149... ...
Ultimately, after it became clear in 1991 that strong opposition to the study by key members of Congress would make it very difficult for NICHD to provide funding for the survey, the NORC research team decided to forgo federal support and secured funding from a consortium of private foundations to conduct its comprehensive national study of sexual behavior. A national study on adolescent sexuality faced similar opposition from some members of Congress, particularly Jesse Helms (R-NC)
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From page 150... ...
Nonetheless, the committee believes these issues to be of very great importance and so highlights here some of the concerns discussed at the workshop pertaining to the potential risks involved in participating in research and to the confidentiality of data.l2 This section is based largely on the workshop presentation by Larry Norton. 12More in-depth discussions of the ethical issues involved in conducting research with stigmatized populations, or involving the collection of data on stigmatized, sensitive, or illegal behaviors, are available.
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From page 151... ...
Although the committee acknowledges these potential risks, the committee also believes that significant benefits to the lesbian population can accrue from studying lesbian health, provided careful protection of individual rights is in place. These include identifying areas of increased risk that need attention, identifying gaps in services, and increasing understanding of the negative impact of homophobia on health.
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From page 152... ...
At the workshop, several participants expressed concerns about gathering information on sexual orientation in government surveys, with some voicing fears that information gathered in one survey might be used as a way to identify lesbians for some harmful purpose (e.g., to detect illegal behavior, to limit access to services)
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From page 153... ...
Several additional issues were brought up during the workshop about which the committee urges further discussion among researchers, lesbians, and Sunders: . What are the specific questions that institutional review boardsi3 should consider when evaluating research involving lesbians, and are there particular directions or instructions that should be provided to institutional review boards to aid them in evaluating research involving lesbians, particularly with respect to confidentiality?
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From page 154... ...
1997. "Ethical Issues in Conducting Research with Lesbians." Presentation at the Institute of Medicine Workshop on Lesbian Health Research Priorities.
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