TY  - JOUR
AU  - Isbășoiu, Andreea Bogdana
AU  - Sava, Florin Alin
AU  - Larsen, Torill M B
AU  - Anderssen, Norman
AU  - Rotaru, Tudor-Stefan
AU  - Rusu, Andrei
AU  - Sălăgean, Nastasia
AU  - Tulbure, Bogdan Tudor
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/5/15
TI  - An Internet-Based Intervention to Increase the Ability of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People to Cope With Adverse Events: Single-Group Feasibility Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e56198
VL  - 8
KW  - acceptance and commitment therapy
KW  - anxiety
KW  - depression
KW  - PTSD
KW  - LGBTQ+
KW  - online interventions
KW  - transdiagnostic
KW  - prevention
AB  - Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people are at higher risk of mental health problems due to widespread hetero- and cisnormativity, including negative public attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to combating social exclusion at the societal level, strengthening the coping abilities of young LGBTQ+ people is an important goal. Objective: In this transdiagnostic feasibility study, we tested a 6-week internet intervention program designed to increase the ability of nonclinical LGBTQ+ participants to cope with adverse events in their daily lives. The program was based on acceptance and commitment therapy principles. Methods: The program consists of 6 web-based modules and low-intensity assistance for homework provided by a single care provider asynchronously. The design was a single-group assignment of 15 self-identified LGB community members who agreed to participate in an open trial with a single group (pre- and postintervention design). Results: Before starting the program, participants found the intervention credible and expressed high satisfaction at the end of the intervention. Treatment adherence, operationalized by the percentage of completed homework assignments (32/36, 88%) was also high. When we compared participants’ pre- and postintervention scores, we found a significant decrease in clinical symptoms of depression (Cohen d=0.44, 90% CI 0.09-0.80), social phobia (d=0.39, 90% CI 0.07-0.72), and posttraumatic stress disorder (d=0.30, 90% CI 0.04-0.55). There was also a significant improvement in the level of self-acceptance and behavioral effectiveness (d=0.64, 90% CI 0.28-0.99) and a significant decrease in the tendency to avoid negative internal experiences (d=0.38, 90% CI 0.09-0.66). The level of general anxiety disorder (P=.11; d=0.29, 90% CI –0.10 to 0.68) and alcohol consumption (P=.35; d=–0.06, 90% CI –0.31 to 0.19) were the only 2 outcomes for which the results were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The proposed web-based acceptance and commitment therapy program, designed to help LGBTQ+ participants better manage emotional difficulties and become more resilient, represents a promising therapeutic tool. The program could be further tested with more participants to ensure its efficacy and effectiveness. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05514964; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05514964 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e56198
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/56198
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38749024
DO  - 10.2196/56198
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/56198
ER  -