Authors of a new study out of Yale, NYU, and the Universidad Central Del Caribe School of Medicine in Puerto Rico say their findings indicate LGBTQ+ students in medical school are having a tougher time coping in the rigorous environment than their straight peers.In the study titled Intersectionality of Sexual Orientation, Race, and Ethnicity in Medical School Attrition, researchers found that LGBTQ+ med students drop out or are thrown out of medical school at a rate double or, in the case of lesbian, gay and bisexual Hispanic students, five times the rate of their straight white peers. Related Gay & bi men differ significantly when it comes to body image A study found that grouping gay and bi men together in research erases key differences between the groups. This cross-sectional study revealed high attrition rates among LGB medical students, with the highest observed among LGB Hispanic male and female students, the authors write. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Our findings highlight the importance of intersectionality in understanding attrition from medical school. Although future studies need to examine the cause of these disparities in attrition, LGB students experience discrimination within medical training environments, which may lead to risk of attrition.The authors cited previous research indicating lesbian, gay, and bisexual students bear a disproportionate burden of the mistreatment reported in medical schools, a spectrum of abusive behaviors including discrimination, assault, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment.That treatment has been associated with burnout, depression, alcohol abuse, increased cynicism, and medical school attrition. The outcomes are especially detrimental and concerning for women, racial/ethnic minorities, and sexual minorities.The authors say that some of the higher attrition rates could be the result of attitudes and encumbrances that students bring with them to medical school. Members of both the LGB and Hispanic communities may encounter less supportive attitudes toward homosexuality, often more prevalent among recent immigrants or first-generation households, and traditional cultural values around notions of masculinity, authority, and gender roles, perpetuating rigid expectations around sexuality and gender expression and alienating Hispanic LGB students, the researchers write.Trends in medical education have not explicitly included Hispanic-specific discrimination issues, inadvertently reducing social support for Hispanic students. Future qualitative studies should explore these intersecting challenges and address the elevated attrition rates.Bisexual med students had a higher rate of attrition (4.2%) than lesbian and gay students (3.7%). Gay, lesbian, and bisexual students had a higher rate than non-LGB students (2.4%). Men had a higher rate of attrition than women (2.8% vs. 2.2%), while Asian, Black, and Hispanic students had a higher rate (2.2%, 4.7%, 4.7%, respectively) than white students (2.0%).There was a direct correlation between how well students did on the MCAT entrance exam required for medical school and their dropout rate.The lowest quartile scores had an attrition rate of 4.5%; the highest quartile dropped out at a rate of just 1.4%.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.