2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

336341
A Community-Based Affirmative Coping Skills Intervention for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: Preliminary Feasibility of Project AFFIRM


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 12:30 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

Shelley Craig, Ph.D., LCSW, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Ashley Austin, PhD, LCSW, School of Social Work, Barry University, Miami Shores, FL
David J. Brennan, PhD, MSW, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Toronto, ON, Canada
Edward Alessi, Ph.D., School of Social Work, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background: Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) have intersecting mental and sexual health risks, yet few evidence-informed interventions exist to deal with these concerns. This study examined the preliminary effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral coping skills training program to increase sexual self-efficacy and to reduce health risks among SGMY.

Methods: An open pilot study using a pre-post design determined preliminary feasibility and acceptability. Following purposive sampling, we delivered a pilot implementation of the adapted group intervention in August 2014. SMGY completed measures of health risk behaviors, depression, sexual self-efficacy and coping at three different time points. Repeated measures linear mixed modeling was used for analysis.

Results: SGMY (n=30) between the ages of 15-18 participated.  Youth identities (non-mutually exclusive) included: pansexual (29%), lesbian (25%), queer (21%), bisexual (18%), gay (11%), and questioning (11%); female (57%), non-binary (21%), male (18%), trans* (7%), and two-spirit (4%); and Caucasian (59%), Asian (29%), Black (25%), Aboriginal (18%), Mixed (13%), and Latino (7%). More than half the sample reported having one immigrant parent. Risk factors included anxiety (79%), substance use (62%), homelessness (44%), and suicide attempts (31%). Participants experienced significant improvements in sexual self-efficacy (B=1.56; p<0.05), reflective coping (B=1.01; p<0.05), and depression (B=5.21; p<0.01).  Changes in health risk behaviours and sexual health knowledge were not significant.

Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate the potential of an affirmative intervention to address the sexual and mental health of a community sample of SGMY. Results indicate the clinical utility of an inclusive model of HIV prevention for SGMY.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the preliminary effectiveness of Project AFFIRM on the mental and sexual health of sexual and gender minority youth

Keyword(s): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), Youth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have years of experiences conducting research in the realm of HIV. I have conducted numerous studies evaluating the mental health needs of sexual and gender minority youth.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3261.0: Community-based Practice in HIV