The Effect of Mindfulness on Increasing Self-Reported LGBTQ Competency Level and Reducing Explicit LGBTQ Bias in Health Care Providers

Public Significance Statement This study suggests that perspective-taking mindfulness interventions that focus on the LGBTQ population may reduce explicit bias in health care providers. These interventions may, therefore, be utilized in hospitals and institutes training health care providers (e.g., medical schools, etc.) to reduce bias toward the LGBTQ population and enhance their level of medical care. The current study explored the effect of mindfulness, as measured as trait mindfulness, general perspective taking, or LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) perspective taking, on increasing LGBTQ competency and reducing explicit LGBTQ bias. A nonexperimental study was conducted in which participants completed multiple self-reported questionnaires that assessed their trait mindfulness, perspective taking, LGBTQ perspective taking, and explicit LGBTQ bias. In this study, 103 health care providers completed the questionnaire. Results indicated that perspective taking and LGBTQ perspective taking were significantly correlated with LGBTQ competency, but trait mindfulness was not. LGBTQ competency was also found to be negatively correlated with explicit LGBTQ bias. General perspective taking and LGBTQ perspective taking, but not trait mindfulness, were found to be associated with explicit LGBTQ bias. The proposed mediational model, that LGBTQ competency mediated the relationship between the mindfulness measures and explicit LGBTQ competency, was supported for general perspective taking and LGBTQ perspective taking but not in regard to trait mindfulness.