Cross-sectional Türkiye nurse survey links education, contact and comfort to homophobia odds

A cross-sectional survey of 100 registered nurses providing direct patient care at a tertiary university hospital in Türkiye found a mean score of 102.14, with a standard deviation of 24.73, on the Turkish version of the Hudson and Ricketts Homophobia Scale. The study examined whether sociodemographic characteristics, beliefs about the causes of homosexuality, interpersonal contact and professional comfort were independently associated with higher or lower odds of homophobia.

All 100 participants completed the scale and a structured questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, etiological beliefs, contact with lesbian, gay and bisexual people, and comfort working with LGB patients and colleagues. The researchers divided homophobia scores into two categories using a median split and then performed binary logistic regression. As a result, the reported odds ratios represent statistical associations with a dichotomized measure of homophobia, not changes in prejudice over time or causal effects of the factors examined.

Multivariable analysis identified four factors independently associated with the odds of higher or lower homophobia scores. Nurses who endorsed biological explanations for homosexuality had lower odds of homophobia than those who did not, with an odds ratio of 0.22. Having a homosexual acquaintance was also associated with lower odds, with an odds ratio of 0.19, as was greater comfort working with LGB colleagues, with an odds ratio of 0.41. In the opposite direction, nurses holding a bachelor’s degree had higher odds of homophobia than those without one, with an odds ratio of 4.24.

The findings show that, within this hospital sample, homophobia scores were statistically related to several educational, cognitive, interpersonal and affective factors. The survey did not test an intervention, so it cannot establish that endorsing a particular explanation, knowing a homosexual person or completing a degree program causes a reduction or increase in prejudice. The bachelor’s-degree association likewise does not identify the mechanism underlying the observed difference.

Results were limited to practicing nurses at one tertiary university hospital, and the cross-sectional design prevents conclusions about causation or trends over time. The findings therefore provide a snapshot of factors associated with higher and lower odds of homophobia among the surveyed clinical nurses. The authors said the results underscore the need for structured, evidence-based and inclusive nursing education and institutional reform intended to promote equitable and ethical care for sexual-minority patients, while the observational evidence does not demonstrate the effects of any particular program.

Subject of Research: Factors associated with homophobia among clinical nurses at a tertiary university hospital in Türkiye.

Article Title: Sexual prejudice and associated factors among clinical nurses in Türkiye: A cross-sectional study

Article References: Şişman, E., Güngör, M., Günay, U., Gareayaghi, A., Yılmaz, H., Dalkıran, İ., Kocaayan, F. S., & Polat, A. (2026). Sexual prejudice and associated factors among clinical nurses in Türkiye: A cross-sectional study. PLOS One, 21(10), e0360301. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360301

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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360301

Keywords: nurses, homophobia, sexual minorities, LGB health, Türkiye, cross-sectional survey, workplace prejudice, nursing education, patient care, Sexual, prejudice, associated