Brief Writing Programs for Sexual Minority Young Adults in Alabama

Auburn University

Status: Withdrawn

Conditions: Expressive Writing; Self-Affirmation; Control

Treatments: Behavioral: Expressive Writing; Behavioral: Control; Behavioral: Self-Affirmation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05559944

#22-317

Details and patient eligibility

About

Sexual minority (SM; e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer) young adults are at elevated risk for eating disorders (EDs). Researchers have used minority stress theory to understand how increased risk is due, in part, to stigma and discrimination from being part of a marginalized group. Despite this glaring inequity, limited programs exist to prevent EDs in SM populations. Critically, many SM young people live in rural regions with high anti-LGBTQ+ stigma and limited access to SM-specific resources. The proposed project will address this gap by adapting and evaluating two brief online interventions to reduce ED risk. N = 120 SM young adults in rural regions of Alabama with high LGBTQ+ stigma and low SM-specific resources will be randomized into one three brief online writing interventions: 1) expressive writing (n = 40), 2) self-affirmation (n = 40), or 3) control (n = 40). Participants will complete assessments pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month post-intervention. Aim 1 will assess intervention feasibility and acceptability. Aim 2 will compare the brief online writing interventions to control in improving body image and ED symptoms. Finally, an exploratory aim will examine posited intervention mechanisms and whether the level of SM stigma and discrimination participants experience pre-intervention impacts intervention efficacy. This research will help support and benefit underserved SM young adults by filling a critical need for brief, scalable interventions that can be delivered online to help reduce ED risk. Data from this project will serve as pilot data for a subsequent R-series grant application from NIH.

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• ages 18-30
• identify as SM (gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or queer)
• endorse body dissatisfaction
• currently living in one of the following AL counties: Lee, Dallas, Lowndes, Autauga, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa, Macon, or Russell
• have internet access (either via computer/tablet, mobile phone, or community center[e.g., library])

Exclusion criteria

• meet criteria for an ED, based on self-report screener
• non-English speaking
• Lack of internet access
• Not living in one of the following AL counties: Lee, Dallas, Lowndes, Autauga, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa, Macon, or Russell
• Younger than 18, older than 30

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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0 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Expressive Writing

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be asked to write about the biggest body image or eating-related stressor they have experienced as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. A general list of the types of stressors and contexts commonly described will be provided to participants, given that meta-analytic research supports that providing examples enhances the efficacy of expressive writing.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Expressive Writing

Self-Affirmation

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will respond to one new vignette per day describing a SM young adult experiencing severe body image stress in Alabama. Participants will be asked to write to this person and provide advice based on their own experience as a SM young adult. Vignettes will be identical across participants; however, they will be matched to participants' sexual identity, gender identity, and race/ethnicity.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Self-Affirmation

Control

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Consistent with prior research participants will write about their routine daily activities since waking up for 20 minutes each day, sans emotional content.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control