An Online Program for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Reduces Alcohol Use and Teen Dating Violence: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to assess preliminary efficacy from a randomized controlled trial of the Promoting Resilient Youth with Strong Hearts and Mind (PRYSHM) Program. PRYSHM is an online, live-facilitated, nine-session group program for sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) ages 15 to 18. The program focuses on reducing proximal forms of minority stress, promoting positive identity development, building LGBTQ+ community, developing social-emotional skills, and providing alcohol use and teen dating violence (TDV) prevention skills.

Method: Participants (recruited predominantly via social media) included 304 recently dating SGMY (ages 15 to 18) from across the United States who were randomized to treatment or waitlist after completing a baseline survey. Participants completed post-test and 3-month follow-up surveys.

Results: Relative to the waitlist, participants in the PRYSHM condition had reduced alcohol use and TDV perpetration. Dosage analyses supported that youth who attended six or more PRYSHM sessions had better outcomes than the control group, more so than youth who attended 0-2 sessions or 3-5 sessions.

Conclusions: These data provide preliminary support for PRYSHM as an efficacious intervention to reduce TDV, alcohol use, and alcohol consequences among SGMY. Dosage analyses provided additional nuance in understanding program effects, with promising findings for those receiving a higher dosage of intervention content. Research is needed using larger samples of SGMY, including SGMY with identities underrepresented in the current trial (e.g., SGMY assigned male at birth), as well as work seeking to evaluate mechanisms of change and identify the optimum program dosage. There is also a need for studies with a longer-term follow-up to evaluate the intervention's durability and whether additional booster sessions are needed.