Evaluation of the Healthy Relationships Program for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth

Summary

The Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) Youth is a flexible and adaptable 17-session mental health promotion and healthy relationship program for gender, sexual, and romantic minority youth. It helps build resiliency and promote well-being among 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. It affirms, validates, and celebrates sexual and gender diversity, cultivates a caring and supportive community, and helps 2SLGBTQIA+ youth develop skills and strategies that promote healthy relationships. Investigators will evaluate the HRP for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in 10 intervention and 10 comparison Genders and Sexualities Alliance/Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in schools across Canada. GSA advisors (educators) at intervention schools will receive training in the program prior to implementation. GSA members (students in grades 9 to 12) at both intervention and comparison sites will participate in a survey at three time points: (1) pre-GSA programming survey at the beginning of the school year, (2) a post-GSA programming survey at the end of the school year, and (3) a follow-up survey at the beginning of the next school year. The primary outcome is social-emotional functioning.

Conditions

• Adolescent Development

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth

The Healthy Relationships Program (HRP) for Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (2SLGBTQIA+) Youth is a small group positive mental health promotion program for gender, sexual, and romantic minority youth. It helps build resiliency and promote well-being among 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. It affirms, validates, and celebrates sexual and gender diversity, cultivates a caring and supportive community, and helps 2SLGBTQIA+ youth develop skills and strategies that promote healthy relationships. This trauma-informed, strengths-focused program explores stressors unique to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, including identity and expression invalidation, stigma, prejudice and discrimination, internalized oppression, coming out, safety, and microaggressions. This program includes 17 sessions, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. It may be delivered in school-based Genders and Sexualities Alliances/Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) or 2SLGBTQIA+ youth group settings.

BEHAVIORAL

Standard GSA Programming

Students at comparison sites will participate in standard GSA programming, a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and their allies to meet, develop relationships, support each other, socialize, and learn about sexuality and gender-related topics, and lobby for social change.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Western University, Canada

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Claire Crooks, PhD · Western University

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-03-01

Primary Completion

2023-10-01

Completion

2023-10-01

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations