5 - (SYM 70) Intersectionality and a Minority Stress-based Single-session Intervention Benefit Multiply-marginalized LGBTQ+ Adolescents

LGBTQ+ youth of color (YOC) face disproportionate barriers in accessing mental healthcare. When they do gain access, many find treatments to be non-affirming. There is a need for accessible interventions tailored for these underserved communities. Project RISE is an online, single-session intervention (SSI) based on principles of affirmative CBT for LGBTQ+ youth. The SSI aims to reduce internalized stigma and psychological distress through a focus on minority stress. However, it is unclear whether LGBTQ+ YOC find Project RISE equally acceptable or effective, relative to White LGBTQ+ peers. This study tested whether Project RISE was equitably effective between White LGBTQ+ youth and LGBTQ+ YOC in a randomized controlled trial.

We recruited 261 adolescents (13 to 16 years old; M age = 15) via social media advertisements. Most teens (51%) were YOC and all participants identified as LGBTQ+. All participants completed measures assessing internalized stigma, identity pride, hopelessness, acceptability, depression, and anxiety. MANCOVAs were conducted to examine group differences between White LGBTQ+ youth and LGBTQ+ YOC on outcomes immediately post-intervention and at two-week follow up.

Both immediately post-intervention and at follow-up, outcomes of interest did not significantly differ by racial-ethnic identity. At post-intervention, levels of internalized stigma (M = 2.47, SD = 0.24), identity pride (M = 5.23, SD = 0.10), and hopelessness (M = 1.22, SD = 0.14) of LGBTQ+ YOC were comparable to those of White LGBTQ+ youth (M =  2.36, SD = 0.24; M = 5.19, SD = 0.10; M = 1.24, SD = 0.14), respectively. Acceptability scores were slightly higher among LGBTQ+ YOC (M = 4.45, SD = 0.07) versus White LGBTQ+ youth (M = 4.37, SD = 0.08). At two-week follow up, depression symptoms of LGBTQ+ YOC (M = 0.92, SD = 0.06) and White LGBTQ+ youth (M = 0.99, SD = 0.07) were comparable. Likewise, levels of internalized stigma, identity pride, hopelessness, and anxiety symptoms at follow-up were near-identical across LGBTQ+ YOC and White LGBTQ+ youth (all p > .05).

No racial-ethnic differences emerged in responses to an online SSI targeting minority stress for LGBTQ+ teens, suggesting the potentially broad, equitable utility of Project RISE for diverse LGBTQ+ youth. Results suggest one possible advantage–here, equitable intervention outcomes–of applying an intersectional minority stress framework to online intervention design, as was the case in this study. Future work with larger samples is needed to confirm the patterns observed in this study.