Vol.:(0123456789) Journal of Religion and Health https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00894-8 1 3 ORIGINAL PAPER Does Location of Practice or Religiosity Predict Negative Physician Attitudes or Beliefs Toward LGB+ Individuals? Tara M. Prairie 1  · Bethany Wrye 2  · Angela S. Bowman 2  · Norman Weatherby 2  · Garvita Thareja 2 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract The purpose of this study is to extend the Sabin et al’s. (Am J Public Health 105(9):1831–1841, 2015. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302631) fndings to examine the extent to which religiosity and/or geographic region is predictive of negative attitudes or beliefs toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and asexual (LGB+) indi- viduals. Secondary data from the Sexuality Implicit Association Test were analyzed. Data included only participants from 2013 to 2015 who identifed “Healthcare – Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners” as their occupation (n = 1376). The results of a factorial ANOVA revealed signifcant group diferences accounting for 22.4% of the variance in attitudes toward LGB+ individuals. Religiosity was a signifcant fac- tor in determining negative attitudes toward LGB+ individuals. However, the study was underpowered (5.8%) to detect an efect of geographic location in determining negative attitudes toward LGB+ individuals. It is important to validate a tool that can adequately measure the common assumptions associated with both religion and geographic region. Additionally, medical educators need to learn how to recognize and address negative attitudes among their students. Keywords Physician attitudes · Sexual and gender minority · Religiosity · Geographic location Introduction Increased religiosity as well as geographic location is often associated with nega- tive attitudes toward LGBT+ individuals, particularly in the American south and/ or rural areas. The literature specifc to religiosity indicated that with a self-reported increase in religious observance there is also an increase in negative attitudes toward the LGBT+ population (Baker 2009; Loftus 2001; Prairie et al. 2017; Reibman * Tara M. Prairie tara.prairie@gmail.com Extended author information available on the last page of the article