Affirmative Psychotherapy for Sexual Minority Women's Mental and Behavioral Health

Launched by YALE UNIVERSITY · Aug 17, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a special kind of therapy called LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that is delivered online. The goal is to see if this therapy can help sexual minority women—those who identify as lesbian, bisexual, queer, or other non-heterosexual identities—reduce heavy drinking and improve mental health symptoms like depression. Participants will attend 10 therapy sessions and will be compared to a group receiving standard LGBTQ-affirmative treatment to see which is more effective.

To join the study, women must be fluent in English, live in New York or New Jersey, and identify as part of the LGBTQ community. They should be drinking heavily (defined as an average of 8 drinks per week or having at least 2 heavy drinking days in the past month) and currently experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety. Participants will need to show some motivation to cut down on their drinking. If you or someone you know is interested, it’s important to note that individuals currently receiving certain types of mental health treatment or with severe mental health issues may not be eligible. Participants can expect supportive, affirming therapy in a safe, online environment.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. be 18 years of age or older
• • 2. be fluent in English
• • 3. self-identify as lesbian, bisexual, queer, pansexual, or other non-heterosexual identity
• • 3) report at ≥ 8 standard drinks/week, on average, in the past 30 days, OR report at least 2 heavy drinking days ( ≥ 4 drinks in one day) in the past 30 days 4) currently experience a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 depression or anxiety disorder (screened initially using a cutoff of ≥ 2 on the Brief Symptom Inventory-4 and further confirmed by diagnostic interview via the DIAMOND) 5) report at least minimum motivation to reduce drinking (measured by the Readiness Ruler) 6) live in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and planning to stay for at least the next 4 months
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. report current mental health treatment ≥1 day/mo
• • 2. report having received any CBT in the past 3 months
• • 3. report current alcohol or drug abuse treatment, except mutual self-help (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous)
• • 4. need alcohol detoxification indicated by ≥9 on Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised (CIWA-Ar)
• • 5. exhibit active psychosis or active mania, as assessed by the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-5 Disorders (SCID) Psych Screen
• • 6. exhibit active suicidality or active homicidality, as assessed by the SCID-Psych Screen
• • 7. be currently legally mandated to attend treatment
• • 8. demonstrate gross cognitive impairment, as assessed with the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status