1 - (SYM 8) A Strength-based Approach to Addressing Health Disparities Among Transgender Women: Isolating Group Level Therapeutic Principles Within a Community Program

Background. Violent victimization driven by discrimination and prejudice against transgender women (TW) causes health disparities and inequitable access to services. Empowerment Self-Defense Programs (ESD) are evidence-based group treatments that are well-suited to address the epidemic of violence against TW, however, research on implementing these interventions in community settings (community engaged dissemination and implementation; CEDI) for TW is sparse. Furthermore, little is known about group processes that promote healing when working with the TW community in effective delivery of psychotherapeutic intervention. Purpose. This study is a secondary analysis of an ESD CEDI study aimed to analyze group processes that facilitate effective implementation of an ESD group among TW. Methods. Group participants (n = 39) completed exit interviews concerning their perception of the process and impacts of the 20-hour ESD intervention. Thematic analysis was used to code data and derive overarching themes. Interviews were independently coded among three researchers; inter-rater reliability was satisfactory. Themes were generated using evidence-based principles of group therapy, an intersectional framework, and minority stress theory as theoretical foundations. Results. Eight novel themes emerged from the data including: Reciprocal Love, Reconceptualization of Gender, Interpersonal Learning, Learned Behavior, Facilitator Development of Cultural Humility, Minority Stressors as Barriers to Benefit, Community Resilience, and Collaborative Partnerships. Conclusions. An understanding of the dynamics of group therapy for TW is salient to our understanding of healing and effective implementation of group psychotherapeutic intervention within the TW community. Generated themes may mediate how care is enacted and received by TW in the process of community engaged implementation science. Findings suggest there is value in future research on measurement and targeted intervention of identified themes to optimize effective outcomes in group ESD for TW and in group-based health equity interventions more broadly.