A scoping review of sexual minority women's health in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Billy A Caceres, Kasey B Jackman, Lilian Ferrer and 2 others
PMID 30947062WHAT IT FOUND
Sexual minority women in Latin America and the Caribbean face high risks of STIs, mental health issues, and substance use, often due to healthcare providers failing to ask about sexual orientation or provide inclusive education.
This leads to mistrust and low uptake of preventive services like Pap tests.
Key findings
01Over 90% of sexual minority women in Argentina reported never receiving STI information from a healthcare provider, contributing to low barrier protection use.
02Sexual minority adolescent girls in Colombia had significantly higher rates of depressive symptoms and illicit drug use compared to heterosexual girls.
03Nearly one-quarter of sexual minority women in Brazil had never had a Pap test, often because they felt little need for gynecological care or feared disclosure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All included studies were cross-sectional, so causality cannot be established. Most studies used non-probability sampling methods, limiting generalizability. Sample sizes were often small, and only one study used a representative sample. Transgender women were largely excluded or not mentioned in most studies. The review only included peer-reviewed journals, potentially missing unpublished data. Only 10 of the many countries in the region were represented.
Declared interests
The paper does not explicitly state funding sources or conflicts of interest in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings apply to all sexual minority women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The data comes from only 10 countries, mostly Brazil and Mexico, and all studies were cross-sectional with small, non-random samples. This describes a pattern of disparities and healthcare barriers, not a proven causal link or an intervention effect.