A Narrative Inquiry of Self-Identified Queer Autistic Persons' Experiences in Relationships With Healthcare Providers on Sexual Health Issues
This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.
About the autistic author markerStetson, L. (2026). A Narrative Inquiry of Self-Identified Queer Autistic Persons' Experiences in Relationships With Healthcare Providers on Sexual Health Issues [Dissertation]. https://www.proquest.com/pqdtglobal1/dissertations-theses/narrative-inquiry-self-identified-queer-autistic/docview/3372278677/sem-2
This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:
Authors
Abstract
This qualitative study investigated queer autistic adults’ lived experiences addressing sexual health with their healthcare providers. Research indicates that healthcare systems, particularly those predicated upon Western medicine, have historically ignored and discriminated against autistic and queer individuals in healthcare. Conclusions of research note that there is a profound risk that patients with intersecting queer and autistic identities will face substantial barriers to accessing sexual healthcare as well as biases and discrimination at the institutional and provider level in healthcare settings. Using narrative analysis, this study explored how people who identify as both queer and autistic navigate sexual healthcare as related to their experiences and perceptions of the working alliance or patient-provider relationship. Eight individuals who identified as queer and autistic participated in interviews sharing their stories of interacting with doctors, nurse practitioners, mental health professionals, and other healthcare providers on the topic of sexual health. Three primary themes emerged, including a) Participants face challenges while navigating a healthcare system that they experienced as silencing identity and choice, b) Participants often feel as if they are putting on a scripted performance during healthcare encounters, and c) Participants perceive disclosing aspects of queer identity to healthcare providers as dangerous. On a broader scale, these findings highlight obstacles to establishing trust and safety in patient-provider relationships, including concerns about how biases and assumptions based on cisgender, heteronormative, neurotypical, and patriarchal narratives may negatively impact the way queer autistic individuals address sexual health. Implications from this study include improving policy and inclusivity to make sexual healthcare more accessible to diverse individuals.
Bibliography cited by this reference
Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.
No cited bibliography is currently integrated for this reference. This does not necessarily mean that no bibliography exists.