Racial Identity Safety Cues and Healthcare Provider Expectations

Although numerous reviews suggest the detrimental influence of healthcare identity threat (i.e., expectations and the experience of identity-based devaluation) on stigmatized group members’ experiences in healthcare settings, no experimental research has examined identity safety cues (i.e., identity-relevant cues that signal protection from identity-based devaluation) in healthcare settings. The present 2 studies manipulated the presence or absence of 2 commonly studied identity safety cues on a healthcare provider’s brochure (i.e., racial minority representation and diversity statements) and assessed Black and Latinx participants’ perceptions of the provider (i.e., the provider’s racial bias and cultural competency) and expectations of a visit at that provider’s office. Across the 2 studies, Black and Latinx participants (N_total=407) reported greater perceptions of the provider’s cultural competence and significantly lower perceptions of the provider’s racial bias when the provider signaled having racially diverse clientele compared to all White clientele. Further, participants anticipated having greater comfort and treatment quality when providers had racially diverse clientele. Providers’ diversity statements did not have a significant influence on perceptions of providers or anticipated visit quality. Future research should explore how identity safety cues in healthcare settings can influence intentions to visit healthcare providers and consequent health outcomes of Black and Latinx Americans.