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Symposia

LGBTQ+

Do Ask, Do Tell: Strategies for improving mental health for sexual and gender minority military veterans

3 - (SYM 40) Community-based Feedback on an Expressive Writing Intervention for LGBQ+ Veterans

Friday, November 15, 2024
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Franklin 8, Level 4, Downtown Marriott
Abstract Body
Written Exposure Therapy, an expressive writing-based psychotherapy, is efficacious for reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other comorbid psychopathology related to traumatic stress exposure and is widely used in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Other expressive writing-based protocols for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer+ (LGBQ+) individuals with anxiety and depression symptoms related to LGBQ+-related discrimination have shown promise in significantly reducing anxiety and depression symptom severity. Yet, to date, no one has developed and tested any expressive-writing based intervention specifically for LGBQ+ military veterans, an underserved and high-risk group of individuals within the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Guided by user-centered design principles, the project team is currently developing and testing a 3-session expressive writing protocol for LGBQ+ veterans who have anxiety and depression symptoms related to LGBQ+-related discrimination. In an ongoing open trial, the project team is continuously refining the protocol by incorporating input from key experts (i.e., experts in sexual minority health and intervention) and end-users and community members (i.e., LGBQ+ veterans and mental health clinicians) to improve the intervention’s cultural relevance and implementation by VA mental health clinicians. We anticipate data collection for the open trial will be complete by October 2024. Using quantitative post-treatment data and rapid content analysis of qualitative interviews with LGBQ+ veterans who have completed the intervention, we will present community feedback on the expressive writing protocol and feasibility and acceptability data. We will also describe the process of incorporating community feedback into iterative modifications to the protocol to optimize delivery with LGBQ+ veterans and in VHA. These efforts will improve the mental health and well-being of LGBQ+ veterans by developing a scalable, brief intervention informed by community-based and end-user input.