Evaluation of the Healthy Relationships Program for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth

NCT05209594 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 113468
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 53
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) Youth is a flexible and adaptable 17-session mental health promotion and healthy relationship program for gender, sexual, and romantic minority youth. It helps build resiliency and promote well-being among 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. It affirms, validates, and celebrates sexual and gender diversity, cultivates a caring and supportive community, and helps 2SLGBTQIA+ youth develop skills and strategies that promote healthy relationships. Investigators will evaluate the HRP for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in 10 intervention and 10 comparison Genders and Sexualities Alliance/Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in schools across Canada. GSA advisors (educators) at intervention schools will receive training in the program prior to implementation. GSA members (students in grades 9 to 12) at both intervention and comparison sites will participate in a survey at three time points: (1) pre-GSA programming survey at the beginning of the school year, (2) a post-GSA programming survey at the end of the school year, and (3) a follow-up survey at the beginning of the next school year. The primary outcome is social-emotional functioning.

Conditions

Adolescent Development

Keywords

Mental health; Social emotional functioning; Gender identity; Sexual identity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Positive social-emotional functioning

  Measured by the Social-Emotional Assets and Resiliency Scales-Adolescent (SEARS-A) that assesses social-emotional assets of responsibility, self-regulation, social competence, and empathy. Participants respond to the 35 items on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = never, 1 = sometimes, 2 = often, 3 = always). The combined total score ranges from 0 to 105 with higher scores indicating greater social-emotional strengths.

  Change from baseline to four month follow-up (up to 12 months)

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) functioning

  Change from baseline to four month follow-up (up to 12 months)

• Dating violence

  Change from baseline to four month follow-up (up to 12 months)

• Help-seeking intentions

  Change from baseline to four month follow-up (up to 12 months)

• Actual help-seeking

  Change from baseline to four month follow-up (up to 12 months)

• Positive mental health

  Change from baseline to four month follow-up (up to 12 months)

Study Arms (2)

Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth

EXPERIMENTAL

Students in grades 9 to 12 participating in GSAs where the HRP for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth is being implemented.

Behavioral: Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth

Regular GSA Programming

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Students in grades 9 to 12 participating in regular GSA programming.

Behavioral: Standard GSA Programming

Interventions

Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth BEHAVIORAL

The Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (2SLGBTQIA+) Youth is a small group positive mental health promotion program for gender, sexual, and romantic minority youth. It helps build resiliency and promote well-being among 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. It affirms, validates, and celebrates sexual and gender diversity, cultivates a caring and supportive community, and helps 2SLGBTQIA+ youth develop skills and strategies that promote healthy relationships. This trauma-informed, strengths-focused program explores stressors unique to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, including identity and expression invalidation, stigma, prejudice and discrimination, internalized oppression, coming out, safety, and microaggressions. This program includes 17 sessions, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. It may be delivered in school-based Genders and Sexualities Alliances/Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) or 2SLGBTQIA+ youth group settings.

Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth

Standard GSA Programming BEHAVIORAL

Students at comparison sites will participate in standard GSA programming, a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and their allies to meet, develop relationships, support each other, socialize, and learn about sexuality and gender-related topics, and lobby for social change.

Regular GSA Programming

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• All students participating in the GSA at invention and comparison sites are eligible to participate
• Age 13 to 19 years old

You may not qualify if:

• Students with low literacy or cognitive functioning may not be able to complete the self-report measures.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Western University, Canada: lead
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Western University

London, Ontario, N6G 1G7, Canada

Location

Related Publications (17)

• Graybill, E. C., Varjas, K., Meyers, J., Dever, B. V., Greenberg, D., Roach, A. T., & Morillas, C. (2015). Demographic trends and advocacy experiences of Gay-Straight Alliance advisors. Journal of LGBT Youth, 12(4), 436-461.

  BACKGROUND

• Heck NC. The Potential to Promote Resilience: Piloting a Minority Stress-Informed, GSA-Based, Mental Health Promotion Program for LGBTQ Youth. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2015 Sep;2(3):225-231. doi: 10.1037/sgd0000110.

  PMID: 26366425 BACKGROUND

• Heck, N. C., Flentje, A., & Cochran, B. N. (2011). Offsetting risks: High school gay-straight alliances and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 161-174.

  BACKGROUND

• Ioverno S, Belser AB, Baiocco R, Grossman AH, Russell ST. The Protective Role of Gay-Straight Alliances for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Students: A Prospective Analysis. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2016 Dec;3(4):397-406. doi: 10.1037/sgd0000193.

  PMID: 28042585 BACKGROUND

• Lapointe, A., & Crooks, C. V. (2018). GSA members' experiences with a structured program to promote well-being. Journal of LGBT Youth. doi: 10.1080/19361653.2018.1479672

  BACKGROUND

• Lapointe, A., & Crooks, C. V. (in preparation). Supports and strategies suggested by educators to enhance the delivery of a mental health promotion program offered in GSAs. Manuscript in preparation for submission to the Journal of Evaluation and Program Planning.

  BACKGROUND

• Lapointe, A., Dunlop, C., Crooks, C. V. (2018). Feasibility and fit of a mental health promotion program for LGBTQ+ youth. Manuscript accepted for publication in the Journal of Youth Development.

  BACKGROUND

• Legislative Assembly of Ontario (2012). Bill 13, (Chapter 5) Statutes of Ontario, 2012: An act to amend the Education Act with respect to bullying and other matters. Toronto, ON: Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

  BACKGROUND

• Lowry R, Johns MM, Gordon AR, Austin SB, Robin LE, Kann LK. Nonconforming Gender Expression and Associated Mental Distress and Substance Use Among High School Students. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Nov 1;172(11):1020-1028. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.2140.

  PMID: 30264092 BACKGROUND

• Padilla YC, Crisp C, Rew DL. Parental acceptance and illegal drug use among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents: results from a national survey. Soc Work. 2010 Jul;55(3):265-75. doi: 10.1093/sw/55.3.265.

  PMID: 20632661 BACKGROUND

• Poteat VP, Heck NC, Yoshikawa H, Calzo JP. Gay-Straight Alliances as settings to discuss health topics: individual and group factors associated with substance use, mental health, and sexual health discussions. Health Educ Res. 2017 Jun 1;32(3):258-268. doi: 10.1093/her/cyx044.

  PMID: 28472258 BACKGROUND

• Poteat, V. P., Sinclair, K. O., DiGiovanni, C. D., Koenig, B. W., & Russell, S. T. (2013). Gay-straight alliances are associated with student health: A multischool comparison of LGBTQ and heterosexual youth. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(2), 319-330.

  BACKGROUND

• Russell ST, Fish JN. Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Youth. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2016;12:465-87. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093153. Epub 2016 Jan 14.

  PMID: 26772206 BACKGROUND

• Saewyc EM, Konishi C, Rose HA, Homma Y. School-Based Strategies to Reduce Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempts, and Discrimination among Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Adolescents in Western Canada. Int J Child Youth Family Stud. 2014 Jan 1;5(1):89-112. doi: 10.18357/ijcyfs.saewyce.512014.

  PMID: 26793284 BACKGROUND

• Taylor, C., Meyer, E. J., Peter, T., Ristock, J., Short, D., & Campbell, C. (2016). Gaps between beliefs, perceptions, and practices: The every teacher project on LGBTQ-inclusive education in Canadian schools. Journal of LGBT Youth, 13(1-2), 112-140.

  BACKGROUND

• Taylor, C., Peter, T., McMinn, T. L., Elliott, T., Beldom, S., Ferry, A., Gross, Z., Paquin, S., & Schachter, K. (2011). Every class in every school: The first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. Toronto, ON: EGALE Canada Human Rights Trust.

  BACKGROUND

• Toomey RB, Ryan C, Diaz RM, Card NA, Russell ST. Gender-nonconforming lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth: school victimization and young adult psychosocial adjustment. Dev Psychol. 2010 Nov;46(6):1580-9. doi: 10.1037/a0020705.

  PMID: 20822214 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Project website

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Interventions

Horseradish Peroxidase

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Peroxidases; Oxidoreductases; Enzymes; Enzymes and Coenzymes

Study Officials

• Claire Crooks, PhD

  Western University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Due to the nature of the intervention, it is not possible to have blinded conditions. Most school-based prevention programs of this type are not blinded.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: GSA members (students in grades 9 to 12) will be assessed in one of two arms. The intervention arm includes GSAs that will implement the Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) youth. The comparison arm will be GSAs where standard GSA programming is delivered.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 3, 2021
• First Posted: January 26, 2022
• Study Start: March 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2023
• Study Completion: October 1, 2023
• Last Updated: December 11, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)