NCT05509166NARecruitingAccepts Healthy Volunteers

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

Yale University

Start Date

2/1/2023

Completion Date

8/1/2027

Summary

The purpose of this 2-arm randomized controlled trial is to assess the efficacy of a 10-session lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-affirmative cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) delivered via telehealth in a large sample of sexual minority women (SMW) in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The investigators will assess whether the EQuIP (Empowering Queer Identities in Psychotherapy) treatment demonstrates significant reductions in heavy drinking (HD) and mental health symptoms (e.g., depression) compared to LGBTQ-affirmative treatment-as-usual.

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a 10-session LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) delivered via telehealth in a large sample of sexual minority women (SMW) in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The treatment, EQuIP (Empowering Queer Identities in Psychotherapy), uses a CBT-based transdiagnostic approach to target the common cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to minority stress that lead to mental and behavioral health disparities for sexual minority women. We will assess in a 2-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) whether the EQuIP treatment demonstrates significant reductions in heavy drinking (HD) and mental health symptoms (e.g., depression) compared to LGBTQ-affirmative Treatment-As-Usual. The investigators will assess whether psychosocial mechanisms (e.g., emotion dysregulation) mediate reductions in heavy drinking and separately and identify whether EQuIP is differentially efficacious across key demographic factors.

Eligibility Criteria

Age Range: 18 years to No maximum

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

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

LGBTQ-affirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

BEHAVIORAL

LGBTQ-affirmative Treatment-As-Usual

Interested in This Trial?

Contact the trial locations directly using the information below to learn more about enrollment.

Expressing interest lets you review the study and consent before we connect you with the research site.

Conditions

Heavy DrinkingMental Health Issue

Locations

Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative with the Yale School of Public Office

New York, New York 10001

United States